Miracle at the 12th Precinct
by klscastle
Summary: Kate, Rick, Agent Jordan Shaw and the gang work a case together. Plot twist...Their witness thinks he's Santa Claus. Gangstas, elves, and mayhem. Takes place a few weeks before Christmas 2012, so Caskett's an established couple as in the show. Chapter 8 and 9 up now. Will Kate find magic in the holiday again? Will they solve the murders and also save Christmas? Read on...
1. Ho Ho Ho It's Off To Work We Go

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to Marlowe and ABC. I am but a lowly writer who probably needs to get out of the house more.

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 1 Ho, Ho, Ho, It's Off To Work We Go...

_This fic is dedicated to my fun and crazy chat buds over at... well, ... over there; HollyC, Castlelover22, and Beckett's Badge who always encourage me to keep writing and who convinced me it wasn't too late for a Castle Christmas story. Love you guys; you're the best! If it still bothers you that this is being published after Christmas 2012 has come and gone, blame them or consider it an early Christmas present for next year. _

The massive explosion blew out the windows of the 4th story New York City apartment, shards of glass fragments raining like diamonds onto cars, piercing passerby's on the street below. The sound from the blast deafened the usual noises heard in the busy intersection, replacing them with screams, panicked cries for help and car alarms gone mad. Traffic came to a screaming halt and those still able, attempted to run for cover from the falling debris while others not so fortunate lay prone on the sidewalk unable to move. Residents from the enflamed building poured out into the streets and ran to safety, while a few brave individuals hurried to pull the injured bodies from harm's way as sirens in the distance grew louder with each passing second. Crowds gathered across the way watching in horror as flames escaping the building were swallowed up by the nighttime sky, lighting it up like daylight. Between the commotion and haze of smoke seeping from the entrance, not a soul noticed the diminutive, singed, green elf flee from the scene and disappear into the night.

Across town, far away from the sounds of the explosion, Kate and Rick were nestled on his couch, enjoying each other's company, listening to soft music and biding time before the pizza they'd ordered was delivered. Upon entering, their shoes had been unceremoniously discarded at the front door, the same spot where all talk of cooking dinner had been unanimously vetoed in lieu of take-out. The very same spot where he'd finally been able to kiss the full soft lips he'd been staring at all day. The front entrance-way to his loft was quickly becoming one of his favorite places, what with so many great decisions having occurred there of late.

Both Rick and Kate were more than ready for a night of relaxation, the promise of which held the first quiet moment alone all day. Snuggled next to him on the couch Kate leaned in closer letting out a sigh, and rested her head on Castle's shoulder. She'd been waiting to do this for hours and didn't even try to hide her contentment. Castle pulled the arm he had around her tighter, leaning his head against hers, propping his feet up on coffee table getting more comfortable. They were both tired after finally having wrapped up their last case, complete with a series of leads that had them running in circles before finally tracking down and catching the killer.

The both soon found their eyes closing as they basked in the bliss of simply being together. Unfortunately, their new-found serenity was about to come to an abrupt halt as the phone rang. They each let out a moan, but made no attempt to answer the grating interruption.

"Don't answer that Kate." Castle whispered in her ear, sending pleasant tingles up her spine. Much to her chagrin, she knew it could be important. What she really wanted to do was toss it out the window and those thoughts left her wondering when taking a call from what was most likely the precinct had taken a back seat to cuddling with the hunk of man currently pressed wonderfully up against her.

Garnering her strength, she disentangled herself from his warm embrace, and reached for her purse pulling out her phone from its depths. "I have to Castle." She said pouting; noting the caller id clearly indicated the caller was indeed Captain Gates. "It's work."

He sighed, but rose from his position, good little soldier that he was, and sat upright, perched at the ready for what the call from the precinct might bring. He admired Kate's work ethic, he really did, for murder never sleeps, but wished they could have a little more time alone together before duty called and broke up their little party of two. In his eyes they barely spent enough time together off duty as it was. He'd been thinking a lot lately about asking her to move in with him so they could do just that, but decided she'd run like a scared cat if he even brought up the subject. He believes she'd probably claim they hadn't been dating long enough, and he'd been working on rebuttals. In his opinion, they'd already been dating for years. Even with that in mind, he's prepared to tread carefully; not to rush her. Slow and steady wins the race, and she's worth it; he can be patient, although it's not easy since he knows how great it would be. It was only a matter of time and thoughts of s_omeday _kept him company on the lonely nights without her.

He listened wearily as she spoke to her boss, picking up tidbits here and there of the new crime against humanity and conceded defeat. A new case had found them; the party… was over. He rose from the couch preparing to retrieve his shoes when the doorbell rang out. He'd almost forgotten about the pizza they'd ordered. Grabbing his wallet he answered the door, took in their dinner, paid and thanked the delivery guy. Kate was still on the phone with Gates.

"Yes Sir...really?" Kate said, her voice becoming an octave higher. He turned at that, curious as to the other half of the conversation. She wrinkled her forehead and shrugged her shoulders at his questioning look. "Okay. I understand. I'll tell him." Kate continued as she finished writing down an address from her boss. "We'll be there right away."

Knowing he would need to work fast he hurried into the kitchen. She watched intently, her eyes following both Rick and the pizza box as they glided past her across the room and into the kitchen. The heavenly aroma of their dinner had immediately permeated the loft and her stomach grumbled loudly reminding her she'd skipped lunch. Her free hand stretched across her belly to quiet it. In anticipation of their sure to be brief dinner and in the name of time, she struggled to keep focused on the dulcet tones of her Captain, all too aware she'd much rather be in the kitchen.

He'd chuckled hearing her stomach rumble as he went by. He'd tried to make her stop for lunch earlier, but she'd stubbornly refused to listen. He'd be making it his job to see that she ate something. Kate obviously needed someone to watch out for her or she'd be surviving on coffee alone. Rick prepared their meal in to go containers and listened to her end the conversation with Gates. Dinner would be rushed, but he'd insist she'd eat on the drive.

His heart sped up as Kate sauntered towards him, with those same lustful eyes she usually reserved for the bedroom. Unfortunately for him, this time her gaze was clearly directed upon the pizza. He mentally named it _Kate's Hungry Look_ and wondered how sturdy the kitchen's counter was. Pressing down on the granite, he tested its strength, determining it to be pretty solid. This data he'd store away for a rainy day since duty had called, and also because he figured she'd never go for it.

"Not happening Castle!"

"What?" he replied startled, removing his hands from the counter as though burned. She wasn't buying his poorly feigned innocence act, and it really freaked him out when she read his mind like that.

She quickly stole a bite of pizza before he filled a bag with their dinner, surprised at how he seemed to have planned for an event such as this. Honestly, what man had that much Tupperware? She was pretty sure she didn't even own any.

"So what did Gates say?" he asked. "What happened?"

"There's been an explosion."

"An explosion? Why are they calling you in for an explosion?"

"A body's been found and there's evidence of foul play." She hesitated and glanced directly at him with a raised eyebrow indicating to him there was more. "It also seems we've been requested."

"Requested? Requested by whom?"

"By Agent Jordan Shaw." This news surprised him as much as it had her and they both took a moment to ponder why the FBI was involved. Kate stared straight ahead, deep in thought which had him seriously worried.

"What else did Gates say Kate?"

"Well, she said, and I quote, "Make sure to bring Mr. Castle with you. This will be right up his alley." She didn't give me much else to go on, and said Agent Shaw would fill us in on the rest when we got there." She chuckled seeing his mouth fall open.

"Gates requested my presence? Really? Huh, will wonders never cease. Grab my coat. We'll eat on the way." Castle told her, his interest peaked. "Don't think I forgot you didn't have any lunch." She rolled her eyes at his blatant admonishment, but secretly loved his concern over her welfare.

Kate grabbed both of their coats and they were headed towards the entrance when he stopped for one last longing look towards the kitchen and frowned. _Another time perhaps._ Catching him off guard, she dropped the coats and grabbed him for a well-planted kiss on his lips, making him drop the bag he was carrying. She hated seeing him pout.

"What was that for Kate?" he asked, not really caring. He loved it when assertive Kate came out to play. Her hands pulled at his shirt collar bringing their bodies inches apart and his arms went instinctively around her.

"I didn't say _never_ Castle, just not…now." She whispered seductively, rendering him speechless then nodding to the kitchen when she saw his confusion. He realized her intent and broke out into a wide smile. Enjoying the view, she graced him with another quick kiss. "Good call by the way Castle. Looks fairly sturdy to me." she added before breezing out the door.

This exchange cheered him up immensely, but as he locked up behind them, his bubble quickly burst as he resigned himself to yet another long night.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you think! - Karen


	2. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 2 Christmas Comes Early

She swore if he didn't stop fiddling with the radio stations and bouncing his knee, she would lose her mind. "Tell me again why we're going to the hospital instead of the explosion site?" he asked from the passenger seat. He was thrilled Captain Gates had actually requested his presence, but Kate thought the suspense might kill him. Any minute now she expected him to ask her the proverbial "are we there yet". Overall, his impatience might be considered by some to be cute, but she could do without the fidgeting.

"Ryan and Esposito are headed to the blast site and we're to meet Jordan at the hospital. Gates said approximately forty people have been reported injured, seven seriously, and there were four confirmed fatalities. One of those fatalities was found in the apartment where the bomb went off, along with a second person who miraculously survived the explosion. The survivor was reported to be in stable condition with only minor injuries, but was brought to the ER to be checked out as a precaution due to his age. That's all I know Castle." She took a moment to blow a stray strand of hair from her forehead which was blocking her vision and wondered briefly if she looked presentable. There hadn't been time to stop off and change from her jeans. "She said we'd find out the rest from Agent Shaw."

They parked in the hospital parking lot and went inside, where they were directed to the 5th floor. Both Kate and Rick observed the posted signs which were leading them in the direction of the Psych ward. Jordan was already waiting for them by the nurses' station. She looked pretty much the same as when they'd worked with her a couple of years back, except her hair was cut slightly shorter. The proper, navy-blue, buttoned-up suit she wore was tailored and quite respectable, but practically screamed _Hello, I'm an FBI agent_.

"Ah, if it isn't Nikki Heat and her plucky sidekick, Richard Castle." Jordan said, her eyes smiling in greeting. "I see you're still _observing_ Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle." she said wryly, before turning to size them up, none too subtly. "It's nice to see you both."

Castle grinned like an idiot at her since _observing_ Beckett was clearly one of his all-time favorite pastimes. Kate cleared her throat, and the grin fell from his face. "Agent Shaw." Kate said professionally while nodding. She shook Jordan's hand firmly while trying to hide her blush. "It's nice to see you too." Kate wanted to kick herself. In the rush to get to the hospital she'd forgotten to discuss with Castle the use of discretion concerning their new relationship status in the presence of Agent Shaw. Kate forced herself to relax. Jordan was a top FBI profiler, so it probably wouldn't have taken her very long to figure it out on her own anyway. Castle, on the other hand, had started to sweat. He sharpened his posture and cast Kate a sideway's glance conveying he now understood the need for caution, having finally realized they were being profiled. He shook Jordan's hand and attempted to act natural, after all Jordan was no threat to their secret from Captain Gates. He knew Jordan was cool, and he was certain she wouldn't make a big deal of it. Time to lay on the charm.

"Agent Shaw, Jordan, how have you been?" He said, smiling warmly in an attempt to divert her from their nervousness. Okay, his nervousness; Kate had her game face on.

"Good thanks, Castle, and you?" she replied, offering a bemused smile. _So they want to play it that way, do they? They're totally sleeping together. Good for them. It's about time they got their heads out of their asses. I'll leave them be...for now, but who do they think they're fooling? _Customary greetings officially over, Jordan immediately got down to the matter at hand.

"You've already been informed of the explosion," Jordan continued in a serious tone, pleased to see she had their full attention. "The blast occurred at approximately eight-thirty pm this evening at the apartment of one Henry Jenkins." She nodded towards the closed door flanked by armed guards, indicating Henry was beyond that door. "He's a very lucky fellow, our Henry; lucky enough to have taken coverage when the bomb blew. He was pulled from the wreckage, along with the not-so-lucky body of his roommate, Timothy Jones. My team is currently going over ground zero with a fine tooth comb."

"So, what's his story? Why the armed guards posted at his door?" Castle asked. "Was he the intended victim? Why is the FBI is investigating, and why are we in a Psych ward? Is the guy a loon?"

"I'd forgotten how inquisitive you could be Castle." She remarked dryly with a glance at Beckett who seemed unfazed by her partner's impatience. "Before we go in, there are a few aspects to the case you should be made aware of. We've been watching Henry here, and his deceased little buddy Timothy, for awhile now as part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal activities of the Mangosa crime family." Both Kate's and Castle's eyebrows rose at that. "Before Timothy's untimely death, we believe he was working for Carlos Mangosa, doing what exactly, has yet to be determined. That's what we need your help finding out."

Kate spoke up first, beating Castle to the punch. "Carlos Mangosa, aka The Snowman; known as such due to being a suspected cocaine supplier, among other things, although he's never been formally charged. The police found his lifeless body recently over in the Meadowland's swamps out in New Jersey." Kate continued, to which Jordan merely nodded. It had been all over the news when the police found the mob king's mangled remains a few weeks back. "Reportedly, he'd been crushed to death after being run over by a car or tractor, or something; it was never really made clear what vehicle did the deed."

"Yes, I remember reading about that." Castle added. "The police had no witnesses, nor did they make any arrests. I, for one, was surprised they'd even found the body. The Mangosa family was up in arms over the loss of their dearly departed Carlos; a real keeper." Castle said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Drugs, gambling, extortion, and God knows what else. I imagine his family will be feeling the financial loss at the downfall of his kingdom as well. Alas, his death will probably remain a mystery, as most mafia crimes usually do. Hey, you don't think this is the family extracting revenge?" Castle's eyes sparkled gleefully as they always did when he'd thought up a good revenge plot.

"Agent Shaw, exactly how are Carlos' death and today's bombing connected?" Kate asked, intent on reigning in her partner, and preferring facts over the fictional version she was sure Castle was currently writing in his head.

While impressed with their savvy knowledge of current events, as well as, the potential storyline Castle was mentally developing for his next book, Jordan sighed. She might as well get this over with so they could get down to business. Castle would be ecstatic, whereas she could feel a mild headache coming on. "We suspect Carlos and his family were dabbling in all sorts of illegal activities, some of which you have both previously mentioned, however, we have no proof. We also suspect his brothers have taken over the family business where Carlos left off and therefore they need to be stopped. Timothy Jones was spotted with a couple of Carlos' goons awhile back, hence our looking at him. We had a tail on him, in our search for something concrete, but found nothing. Now Timothy's been eliminated. We need to know why."

"Agent Shaw. Tell us what you have on both Henry and Timothy so far." Kate said, taking out her pen and pad so she could take notes.

Jordan looked between them, her lips pursed. "We have a few good leads, but it's… complicated. You see Henry is...how do I say this...unusual, so our investigation has taken on a slight twist."

"What exactly do you mean by unusual?" Castle asked, now completely curious. Jordan was holding back, which wasn't her nature.

"Well, Mr. Jenkins believes he's...Santa Claus, the real deal, and that Timothy was one of his elves." Jordan waited a beat for their expected reactions, and Castle did not disappoint. Sometimes, she hated her job.

"That, is...awesome!" Castle beamed, while Beckett thought she must have heard wrong and said so.

"No, Detective, you heard me right, and that...explains why we are here in the Psych ward. In addition to a sprained ankle, and various abrasions, Mr. Kringle, as he likes to refer to himself, apparently also took a nasty bump to the head. He claims not to remember his real name, anything about Mangosa, or why any one of his _elves_ would have any dealings with criminals. He said, and I quote, "We're in the business of making and delivering toys for good little boys and girls, not cavorting with bad ones." That being said, we're holding him for observation and he will be undergoing an extensive psych evaluation. We also believe his life may still be in danger, hence the guards. We need to find out what he knows."

Castle pointed towards Beckett with his thumb. "And she said there was no Santa Claus." He told Jordan while slowly shaking his head, his lips pursed."Can we go in now? I've always wanted to meet him!" Not waiting for Jordan's permission he strutted past them and through the hospital room door. Kate simply rolled her eyes.

Jordan, although amused by Castle's antics, sympathized with Kate just the same. "I see _some _things never change Detective." Jordan said raising an eyebrow as they followed him inside.

"You've no idea..." Kate mumbled under her breath, marveling over why they always caught the weird cases.

A/N: So, what do you think so far? I would love it if you could post a review. They keep me going and this is going to be a long one! Thanks for reading, Karen


	3. Here Comes Santa Claus

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine, but they sure do keep me out of the bars. Santa belongs to Mrs. Claus.

A/N: This chapter is for all the kids that made the nice, not naughty list for Christmas 2012. Future chapters will be for the naughty ones.

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 3 Here Comes Santa Claus

Both Castle and Beckett did a double-take upon seeing the man sound asleep in the hospital bed, for he was exactly as you'd picture Old Saint Nick to look, if you ever came across him lying in a hospital bed, without the suit, and hooked up to a bunch of tubes, that is. From the top of his head with its thick snow white mane to his matching full beard and cherubic red cheeks, all the way down to the ample pot-belly rising to and fro with every breath; Henry Jenkins was the perfect image of Santa Claus. They both took a moment to absorb what they were witnessing. Castle found his voice first.

"Oh my God Kate!" Cried Castle, with eyes as big as saucers. "Why would anyone want to kill Santa?" Rick looked very much like a lost little boy, as he turned to Kate for answers he knew she really couldn't give him. In a flash he was outraged and returned to watch over their bedridden witness, completely horrified at the injustice of the harsh, cold, cruel world in which they lived.

Beckett was momentarily at a loss for words over Rick's unexpected reaction, indicated by her gaping mouth. For while yes, even she had to agree Henry Jenkins did look the part, if this were a play, which it was not, she didn't believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or most anything else not based in fact. Castle on the other hand, had his own belief system and was also sometimes known to be out of his mind. He had to be messing with her. Surely, at his age, he couldn't possibly still believe in Santa Claus. It was actually kind of sweet, Rick's willingness to believe, and for a moment she almost envied his ability to remain a kid at heart. She felt the beginnings of a smile which she nixed when she realized Jordan was once again watching her with interest. Jordan had most likely heard Castle address her as Kate instead of his usual _Beckett_. Now was probably not the time to be making puppy-dog eyes at her boyfriend.

"Knock it off, Castle." Kate replied, with no trace of a smile. She made sure to use his last name and rolled her eyes hoping to divert attention from Rick's faux pas. "There's no such thing as Santa Claus, and you're a grown man for heaven's sake." She said, shaking her head over his dramatics.

Just then an agent came in to the room and handed Jordan a file folder. Jordan thanked him and started to read through it while Kate and Castle continued their discussion.

"Really, Kate? Then what, pray tell, is that?" He said pointing to the red suit hanging on the outside of the closet door.

She moved to where it hung and studied the suit closely. This wasn't your average costume. It was detailed, authentic looking, and probably cost a fortune to have hand-made. The color was a darker red then most of the ones she'd ever seen and the trim was animal fur, not the cheap white cotton usually used. It had to be one of a kind. A pair of big black leather boots with silver buckles over thick laces sat on the floor next to the outfit and she took a moment to examine them as well. The boots also appeared to have been hand-made and neither the suit nor the boots bore any tags indicating where they were made. While the costume was indeed impressive, it didn't prove anything.

"It's a costume, Castle. Something wrong with your eyes?" she retorted.

"Well, look at it Kate!" he exclaimed. Both completely unaware of Jordan's bemusement hidden from behind her file. "That's no run of the mill Santa Suit!" He added.

If he didn't stop calling her by her first name in front of Jordan, Kate was surely going to strangle him. "That only proves that _Santa_ here," she said with a dash of sarcasm, "has excellent taste in tailors, nothing more."

"Why thank you Katie." Said a raspy voice from the bed, followed by a moan. Their patient was conscious. "I'll be sure to give my wife your compliments; however, would you kids mind keeping it down a bit? I'm trying to catch a few winks." Jordan and the detectives came to attention and moved closer to his bedside. Kate hid her surprise at Jenkins calling her Katie, assuming he'd also heard Castle say her name aloud; still, it was a tad unsettling to hear someone other than her parents using her childhood nickname.

"Ah, I see you're awake again, Mr. Jenkins." Jordan said smiling while at the same time handing over the case file she'd been reading over to Kate. "We need to finish our discussion from earlier."

"Young lady," he said to Jordan, "you will please address me as Kris, Santa or any other colloquial version of such. Even Mr. Kringle would be permissible, if you must...you were always very formal, even as a child, but as I told you earlier, I have no idea who this Jenkins chap is. I've never heard of him, nor can I remember any of what you say happened today. I have no explanation as to why these old bones of mine hurt so much at the moment or how I came to be in this confounded medicinal facility. All that is clear to me is that if I'm late getting home for dinner tonight Mrs. Claus will likely have me sleeping out in the stable with my reindeer. So if you all don't mind, I'd like some privacy so that I may get dressed. I wish to leave these premises at once."

Rick beamed, for it seemed Santa, um, Henry Jenkins or whoever he was, would be just fine. The man had plenty of spirit left in him, and although it was immensely entertaining to rattle Beckett's chains, and Jordan was simply a bonus, he didn't really believe Henry Jenkins was Santa Claus. He could see how an argument might be made for it though. Rick couldn't deny there _was_ something special about the man, but he wasn't quite sure what it was yet. He couldn't explain the immediate fondness he felt for someone he'd only just laid eyes on, nor the absolute horror that ran through him knowing someone was out to hurt the kindly old gentleman. He chalked his feelings up to the appalling thought of someone wanting to harm a universal symbol of hope and childhood innocence.

Jordan on the other hand, had heard enough. "Now listen to me...Santa...you're not going anywhere until you've been thoroughly checked out by the doctors and we get to the bottom of why you were found in the aftermath of an exploding apartment." Said Jordan, barely holding her patience at bay. "Someone tried to kill you today, four people are dead, and dozens of innocent bystanders were injured, so until I'm satisfied you're not in further harm, and get some answers to our questions, you will continue to remain under our protection."

Henry looked to his new visitors and shook his head. "You always were a bit bossy even as a child Jordie." He told her. Rick couldn't hide his smirk and Kate checked her watch. She wondered how long it would be before Special Agent Jordie Shaw suggested they lock the old guy up.

Jordan took a deep breath and was trying very hard to hold on to her composure. She'd quickly tired of Jenkins implying he knew what she was like as a child. So what if her mother always told her she was a little buttoned-up and somewhat bossy; lucky guess.

For Kris, the seriousness of the situation seemed to finally sink in. "Four people were really killed there tonight you say? That is terribly dreadful." He said quietly. "Of course, I'd be more than happy to help you in any way, but unfortunately, as I've explained, it seems this nasty bump to my head has left me somewhat fuzzy on the details of the day." He reiterated to Jordan as he gently rubbed the bruise atop his head.

As Jordan spoke to Henry, Castle followed their conversation intently while Kate stood by quietly perusing the file she'd been handed. It contained pictures of Carlos Mangosa, his brothers, and a few of Mangosa's known associates, along with photos of the victims and the destroyed apartment. She studied the photo of Timothy Jones curiously. At first glance, she'd thought the picture was that of a young boy, but notes stated Timothy... was a dwarf.

Jordan decided the time had come to bring in the new recruits; she was getting nowhere fast and why should she have all the fun? As far as their witness' name went, she'd play it his way; maybe it would help garner his cooperation. "Kris," she said making eye contact with him. "Forgive me. Where are my manners? This is Detective Kate Beckett of the NYPD, and her colleague Richard Castle. I've brought them in to help with our investigation."

Castle jumped to attention quickly, smiled and immediately offered his handshake. "Hello Kris, Rick Castle." Kate gave a simple nod in greeting and patiently awaited her turn. She gave it ten minutes before Castle asked the man for his autograph.

Henry shook Rick's hand, stared into his eyes a moment, and then let out an unexpected, hearty Ho, Ho, Ho before reaching over to retrieve the old-fashioned spectacles from the stand next to the bed. "Ricky Castle. Step closer son; let me get a good look at you." He said, putting them on. "Why yes, indeed you are, young man." Kris chuckled.

"You remember me?" Rick yelped, before sucking in a quick breath. Santa knew who he was!

"I most certainly do." Kris said. "You were quite the handful." Kris shook his head. "You know, I expected you'd grow up to become an author." He declared before turning to speak directly to Kate and Jordan. "Not a great surprise really...always with his head in a book and quite the imagination -very lengthy letters." He then returned his attention back to Castle. "I've read some of what you've written son, sadly, not all; I keep pretty busy. I'm sure you understand. Not exactly for the kiddies, eh Ricky?" He added laughing, his eyes twinkling.

Both Kate and Jordan rolled their eyes in unison. Castle was falling for the man's charm, but Kate concluded Jenkins simply recognized Rick from the photo on the jacket of his books. Rick could be so gullible and was buying the guy's act hook, line, and sinker. Kate played with the collar of her jacket as she continued to listen to them. Jenkins seemed like a nice old man and her instincts told her he was harmless - too bad he was also hiding something. Apparently, it would be left to her and Jordan to be the voices of reason.

Kate thought about what Jordan had told them in the hallway. Jordan wasn't kidding when she'd said this case was complicated. Santa Claus...their witness, thinks he's Santa Claus. Kate really hadn't seen that one coming. This wasn't her first case where the main witness or suspect had amnesia or was even delusional, for that matter, but she had to admit; it was her very first Santa. Trauma certainly did strange things to people. Eventually someone might recover part or all of their memory; however, it took time, and often slowed down the investigation. If this seemingly very nice old man with a secret didn't hurry up and start remembering something pertinent to her case soon, she'd be forced to use drastic measures to jog his memory. Kate noticed Jordan, who'd been standing quietly by with her hand on her hip appeared to be slightly agitated. The time had come to end Castle's fawning and interrupt the men's bonding session.

"Mr. Kringle, Kate Beckett." she said offering her hand for him to shake. "I'd like to ask you some questions now."

Taking her hand, he focused his attention on her and looked deep into her eyes. A slow smile graced his kind face, almost like he knew her; yet she was positive they'd never met before, and she couldn't explain the strange feeling that ran through her, it was just...odd. "Oh, yes," He said merrily, "Little Katie Beckett. You were one tough nut to crack." He looked over at Rick as if to commiserate and let out another hearty laugh. "But then again the ones you have to work for always are the most memorable, isn't that right Ricky."

Castle nodded his agreement and grinned at Kris. The man had the Santa laugh down perfectly in his opinion and Rick was having an excellent time. He chose to ignore the looks Kate and Jordan were shooting him. Maybe there was no Santa, but this sweet old man was delightfully entertaining and there wasn't anything in the world funnier than watching him push little Jordie and Katie's buttons.

Kate, determined to stay on track, used her not to be screwed with police officer's voice. "Mr. Kringle your landlord has confirmed you were renting an apartment from him on 34th street under the name Henry Jenkins. The very same apartment which was blown up earlier tonight. I'm sorry, but I need you to identify someone for us." She took out a picture from the file of Timothy Jones and showed it to him. "Do you recognize this man?"

He looked carefully at the photo, and a moment later the color drained from his face, the sparkle left his eyes, and his chin quivered. "Oh no... Timmy." He whispered, before squeezing his eyes shut tightly. The photo fell from his hand onto the bed; he grasped his head with both hands and began moaning in agony.

Jordan yelled she was running get a nurse and fled the room while Rick quickly poured him a glass of water. After a moment his pain seemed to subside and he was able to take the drink Castle offered. It seemed to help since the color slowly came back to his face and his hands had released his head. He told them the pain had lessened somewhat, then closed his eyes as though exhausted.

Jordan entered the room with a nurse, who then immediately checked Kris' vitals.

Satisfied with her brief exam that Kris would be alright, the nurse departed, but not before she instructed them that her patient needed his rest. They agreed to leave shortly, with plans to return in the morning, however they still had one or two questions that would not wait. They promised to make it brief.

"Are you okay now Mr. Kringle?" Kate asked.

"Yes, Katie I'll be fine. My head does still ache, but the sharp pain I experienced has since dissipated." He was distraught over the loss of his friend. "Who would do such a thing to Timmy, I ask you? He was a fine boy; one of my best; like a son to my wife and I. Why? Why?" he cried, before adding. "Oh my, and the others...they will be absolutely devastated. You must do something about this!"

"We're very sorry for your loss Mr. Kringle, and thank you for identifying him. I promise you we will find whoever's responsible for Timmy's death, that's why we're here, but we do need your help. What can you tell us about Timmy?" Kate asked, taking up the questioning.

"Timmy was a very good soul. He was living with us while we we're working here."

"And where are you employed?" Kate asked.

"Why Macy's dear." He told her, managing a tiny grin. "I am their Santa Claus, and Timmy..." he paused, grin gone, "Timmy was my apprentice; one of my finest elves. I try not to play favorites, but you know how it is...sometimes it simply can't be helped." Kris sensed her confusion and felt the need to explain. "During the off season a few of us take odd jobs. It can be quite expensive feeding all those mouths, and reindeer food does not come cheap you know."

At this point Castle interrupted. "Kris, you said _us_, living with _us_. Who else lived with you besides Timmy?" he asked.

Kris looked momentarily confused by what Castle had asked, and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Confusion was quickly replaced by anger. He seemed to remember something. "Tommy..." He muttered under his breath. "Tommy also lived with us, and let me guess... that boy is nowhere to be found. He is a slippery one; some people are just not cut out for the workshop. This is all his doing, of that I am certain. He had promised me he was reformed and swore he had stopped all of his nonsense. And now, look what's come of it; poor Timmy, three others, and numerous citizens injured. I tried to tell my wife and that sister of hers he was a bad penny, but no, no, no, they wouldn't listen to me!" He then addressed Castle directly. "Are you married Ricky?"

"No. But I was once, twice." Rick stumbled, ignoring Kate's glare, which did not go unnoticed by Kris.

"Well then, I am sure you will understand... Tommy...is my wife's sister's boy." Kris said with disgust before rolling his eyes. "He had been causing all sorts of mischief back home and my wife and her sister insisted he leave town, accompany Timmy and myself on our travels in order to get his act together. Always more naughty than nice, that one," he said waving his pointer finger in the air. Kris was quickly becoming angry. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I tell you, but those two insisted he needed a job. Both boys were entrusted in my care... good grief; I will never hear the end of this."

"Exactly what kind of trouble was Tommy in Mr. Kringle?" Kate asked calmly. So far, she wasn't buying most of his story, but with little else to go on she had no choice but to continue her line of questioning.

"Tommy was up to no good I tell you." Kris said. "He had gambled away all of his earnings and had taken to stealing from both Timmy and myself; being the kind of elf that gives all the rest of the elves a bad name. He was off gallivanting with some rather unruly boys, and I use the term lightly. Then there was the incident, last week..."

"What incident Mr. Kringle?" Jordan asked. The headache she'd started to get earlier had now become a reality.

"Tommy never showed up for work." Kris replied. "When Timmy and I returned back to the apartment we found he had been beaten and we patched him up. When we asked how such a thing could happen to him, he admitted his _business associates_ had visited him in our absence, but he would not explain why they had harmed him in such a manner."

Nurse Ratched popped her head in the room and reminded them both of the time and their promise to keep things brief. Jordan nodded, ignored the nurse's scowl, and looked to both Kate and Rick who nodded back in silent agreement; their interview was over.

Jordan turned to Kris. "Well, Mr. Kringle, we're going to let you get some much needed rest now and then we'll be back in the morning. The nice gentlemen outside your door will be there all night. You let them know if you remember anything you think might possibly be important to the case."

"Bye Kris!" Castle said warmly, shaking his hand. "It was great to meet you. I'm glad you're going to be okay, and don't worry, we're going to find out who did this to Timmy." Castle turned to Kate, pointing with his head towards the door indicating he'd be in the hallway when she and Jordan were done.

"Thank you. Goodnight son." Kris replied.

"Goodnight Mr. Kringle." Kate echoed. "We'll see you in the morning." She said before turning away abruptly and wrinkling her brow. She'd had the weirdest urge to give him a hug, but thank god was able to stop herself.

"Goodnight Katie." Kris said fondly.

Jordan tilted her head to the side having noticed Kate's reaction, but Kate merely shrugged it off and followed Castle out the room.

"Mr. Kringle, you get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. In addition to our questions, some very nice doctors are going to be examining you tomorrow. Just to make sure you're alright."

"Goodnight Jordie. I do look forward to it." He replied smiling sincerely to her before she exited.

After they'd left Kris let out a Ho, Ho, Ho, for it wouldn't be the first time he's been subjected to a psychiatric exam. He shook his head in disbelief...have they not seen that old movie they play over and over again at this time every year? He could pass one of those silly examinations in his sleep. Considering all that had come to light, he felt remarkably hopeful knowing Jordie, Katie, and Ricky were on the job; after all they were such very good children.

A/N: And so ends Chapter 3. What did you think of Santa, um, I mean Henry Jenkins… or do I... (insert evil ho, ho, ho here);-) Want another chapter? Thanks for reading! Karen


	4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Disclaimer: They're so much fun to hang out with, but no, they're not mine.

A/N: As promised, this chapter is for all the naughty boys and girls out there. You know who you are. LOL. Rated M for a reason. Thanks so much for all the follows and reviews and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Karen

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 4 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Henry's laughter drifted through the closed hospital door causing Jordan, Kate, and Castle to take pause. The agents guarding his door remained stoic, however, both Kate and Jordan's brows furrowed. Castle merely shrugged, grinning in response to their questioning looks. Jordan who had seen and heard enough for one night, shook her head, and turned on her heels, starting her descent down the hallway towards the elevator. "Time to go people." She tossed out over her shoulder. "I do believe our patient needs his rest."

Kate, for one, was still trying to process their surreal interview with Henry Jenkins, aka Santa Claus. She didn't know what to make of the man, or how she'd explain any of Henry's claims to Gates while maintaining a straight face, whereas, Rick couldn't wait to call Alexis and his mother to tell them both about meeting Santa. Both Kate and Castle hurried to catch up to Jordan.

"That was so cool." Castle exclaimed when they'd caught up to Jordan. Kate remained silent, rolling her eyes at his nonsense.

"So detective," Jordan asked her. "Tell me, what are your first impressions of jolly Old Saint Nick?"

Kate's first thought was to declare Henry nuts, but instead searched for the appropriate professional response. "He's hiding something." she replied carefully, "What, I'm not sure, and I'm not buying the whole amnesia angle. Half of what he said made no sense, but there may have been some underlying truth to his story." She decided to make it her job to get it sorted out. "He was um… interesting." she added.

"On this we agree Detective." Jordan said, nodding. "He knows more than he's letting on, I'm sure of it, and… _interesting_ is putting it mildly."

"Interesting?" exclaimed Rick, stopping in his tracks. He couldn't believe how jaded they both were. The ladies stopped walking at his comment, turning to stare at him in disbelief. "What is wrong with you two?" He asked, shaking his head at them. "He's completely awesome! How do you not see this?"

"Look Castle, I knew you'd find this case amusing..." Jordan told him. "And I remain hopeful your _unique_ perspective will be of some use, but knock it off. It's obvious the man has issues."

"He's exactly as I imagined him to be." Castle said, shaking his head, choosing to ignore the jibe.

His reaction put Beckett on alert. If he kept this up, Jordan would surely throw him off the case. Her partner sounded crazier than the man they'd just interviewed, and he needed to stop fooling around. The time had come for damage control. "Seriously Castle," Kate said, laughing it off. "You imagined Santa would be a suspect in one of our murder investigations?"

"Suspect?" Castle answered, completely appalled. "Tell me you don't really believe that sweet, wonderful, little old man could actually hurt someone? He's freaking Santa Claus. He can't possibly be a suspect!"

"Everyone's a suspect." both Kate and Jordan, said in unison, causing him to frown.

"Until proven innocent." Jordan added, slowly, as though talking to a child. "By now I would think you would have learned this." She said turning to Kate and gesturing towards Castle with her thumb. "He's a little slower than I remember."

"Yeah." Kate agreed, nodding and sighing before picking up the pace and trailing behind Jordan who'd once again started walking down the corridor. This man would be the death of her.

Castle, duly offended, took a moment in his search for a comeback, then caught up to Kate who was still a step behind Jordan. "I thought you liked it when I went slow." he whispered in Kate's ear. She smacked him in the chest, managing to do so without Jordan noticing, and then shot him a dirty look. He tried not to smirk.

"Your Captain Gates has agreed to let us set up shop in your bullpen." Jordan told them, stopping in front of the elevator, and pushing the button. "By the way," She added. "I was sorry to hear about Roy Montgomery. He was a good man."

"Thank you." Kate and Rick responded automatically.

"He's missed." Rick added solemnly. Both partners eyed each other, finding it difficult to keep their expressions neutral.

Jordan caught the interaction, but decided to leave it alone. There was obviously more to the story, but she was tired and now was not the time. The doors opened and they got in the elevator." So Gates..." Jordan said as the doors closed. "Is she as much of a hardass as she comes off?"

"Yes." They answered. It was unanimous.

"Fabulous." Jordan remarked, sarcasm evident.

"So, the War Room!" Rick said, happy for an excuse to change the subject. "I can't wait to see what cool new toys you've brought this time Jordan." Her toys almost made him want to become an FBI agent.

"Actually, we're not calling it the War Room this time around. In the spirit of the season, and for obvious reasons, for the duration of this case my team has dubbed it…Santa's Workshop." Jordan said, rolling her eyes. "Who says the FBI doesn't have a sense of humor? Oh, and keep your hands off my stuff Castle!" she yelled at him, effectively shutting him up. Beckett clamped her lips tightly to stifle her amusement.

"So, boys and girls," Jordan told them, figuring they had nowhere to run. "We'll be starting early tomorrow morning. I strongly suggest you two go home, and I do mean to …_ sleep_...," she added, heavy emphasis on _sleep_. "I'll need you both bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning." Jordan fought off her smirk, feigning interest in the changing of the elevator floor numbers, but if she'd had a pin with her, she'd have dropped it, tested out the theory.

Both Kate and Rick mutely nodded, suddenly fascinated by their shoes, not daring to look at one other, let alone respond, but her message was received loud and clear; without a doubt, they'd been totally busted by Agent Jordie Shaw.

Xxxxxxxx

Richard Castle really loved Christmas. How much so, was a fact Kate would only truly come to realize on the car ride home. The return trip to the loft seemed much longer in comparison to the drive over to the hospital earlier. All this talk about Christmas was driving her crazy. Since meeting "Santa", Castle's inner twelve year old had been reduced to nine, the world was his playground, and she wasn't sure how much more she could stand before she'd snap and yell at him to stop. He talked endlessly about meeting Kris Kringle; how amazing he was, and how we had to protect him – _you know, for the good of the children. _Did Rick actually think she believed Henry Jenkins was Santa Claus, and that he was for real? Sure, Kris had the Santa routine down pat, and he was great at feeding her boyfriend's overactive imagination, but the rest was pure make-believe. She suspected Castle was just being Castle; he loved making her crazy, toying with her, and while she usually lets him have his fun, Jordan won't put up with his nonsense for much longer so he needed to start taking this case seriously.

She sat back quietly, tried to focus on her driving, and let him ramble in the hope he'd get it out of his system. Just when it seemed he was finally settling down, he brought up his invitation to spend the holiday with his family.

The truth was Kate dreaded Christmas; each one reminding her too much of holidays spent with her mom before she died. The day simply didn't have the same meaning to everyone as it did to Castle, and she had to tell him this. She always volunteered to work, allowing someone with a real family to take off. For so many years now, it had just been she and her dad, with her father preferring the solitude of his cabin during Christmas. She doubts whether either of them will ever love the holidays again.

She had to tell him how she felt, but was afraid to hurt his feelings. She needed a little more time to get it straight in her head, to choose the right words, but promised herself she _would_ be honest, and make him understand. With Christmas only a couple of weeks away, and given the subject matter of their current case, it would only get worse, the longer she put the discussion off.

He'd been so excited to spend their first Christmas together as an official couple and told her as much when he'd extended the invitation. She'd agreed, not wanting to put a damper on his happiness, and because he'd looked so damn cute when he'd asked her. Truth be told, part of her wanted to share the day with him, celebrate, be merry, it's what normal couples did, but she worried once the actual day arrived she won't be up to it. In the past, she'd always managed to blow off spending the holidays with boyfriends, but with Castle, it was different somehow. Call her a coward, but that particular conversation would have to wait until she was able to explain herself properly. What her man needed right now was a distraction… and she was just the woman to give it to him.

Xxxxxxx

As soon as they got home, he tossed off his jacket and darted towards the kitchen intent on making her something to eat. She'd been quiet in the car and hadn't eaten much earlier; he figured she was either starving or tired. "How do some eggs sound Kate?" he asked, over his shoulder, already in the kitchen, not awaiting a response.

She removed her jacket and watched him from the doorway. They were finally off the clock, there would be no interruptions. He'd mentioned earlier they had the place all to themselves for the evening, and for what she had planned, this was a fact for which she was grateful. Like a lioness, she observed her prey from afar.

His back was towards her as he bent over, rummaging through the fridge, then he asked what she was in the mood for.

"What do you have?" She answered on autopilot, although she was already quite familiar with his um, assets. She suppressed a moan, but couldn't help but lick her lips at the view; she was hungry all right, but not for his cooking.

The material of his shirt strained across the taught muscles of his back causing them to flex with his every movement, bringing to mind the last time she'd spent grasping them, hanging on for dear life, as his gloriously naked body hovered atop hers and he pounded into her, his face filled with rapture.

The memory, mingled with the tight blue jeans currently hugging his ass made her fingers twitch. Emboldened, she found herself moving closer to her target. Sliding up behind him, she ran her fingers gently over the expanse of his back, and up to his neck. Unfortunately, she'd startled him, and he jumped to attention, hitting his head on the refrigerator shelf.

"Hey." He yelped, backing up, then laughing at himself. He rubbed his head and winced, hoping to garner some sympathy. She shook her head at herself for scaring him. _Real smooth Kate._ She'd wanted to surprise him, not injure him.

He'd left her by the doorway a moment ago, so he marveled over how she'd silently snuck up on him. "Jeeze Kate, you're like a ninja."

"Are you okay Castle? I'm so sorry." She said, worried she'd given him a concussion. The fingers itching to touch him earlier instinctively went to his head, examining the sore spot he'd been rubbing. Luckily there wasn't even a bump, so it appeared her man would live another day, maybe, after she was done with him tonight, that was.

Wavy locks, so soft beneath her fingertips, sent tingles down her arms. His eyes shut over her delicate ministrations and he sighed, making her smile. Leaning in closer she brought a hand down, and gently ran her fingers over his cheek, the harsh friction of stubble against flesh making her shiver. She needed to get him horizontal.

"I'm fine Kate." He murmured, torn between not wanting her to worry over his injury, and not wanting her to stop.

He reopened his eyes, and nearly stopped breathing she was so beautiful, and wearing a look he recognized, one he'd seen before, but with her hair fanning his pillow. His mouth began to water. Darkened hazel eyes, wet, luscious, pink lips, parted and taunting, screamed at him to be kissed. He involuntarily let out a moan. His member sparked to life as she reached for him, threw her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer. The hottest woman he'd ever seen was asking him silently, with those sexy eyes of hers, to make love to her.

Their eyes locked; blue bore down onto hazel. Satisfied she finally had his full attention, she glanced purposely over at the granite countertop, raising both brows. He followed her line of vision and smiled.

"Seriously?" he asked, sounding hopeful, and praying she wasn't teasing him. Sure, she'd promised him _later_, but he assumed she'd meant _someday, _not tonight. He was unable to hold back a wolfish grin, especially since she was wearing one of her own.

"Don't I look serious Rick?" she answered, trying to convey with her eyes, touch and voice how much she wanted him at the moment, on various furnishings, and that fast and furious would be lovely.

He needed no further encouragement. Like magnets, their mouths collided, soft plains converging with hard ones, his arms latching firmly around the small of her back, pulling her tightly up against him, practically lifting her off the floor. They moaned into each other's mouths, tongues merged, explored, and her arms went instinctively over his shoulders, landing behind his neck. She couldn't help but squeeze the firm muscles she'd fantasized about earlier through the fabric of his shirt, and although she loved the way he dressed, his clothes had to go; she would settle for nothing less than flesh against flesh. She broke free from his hold, quickly grabbing for his shirt, pulling it up, in an attempt to remove it from his body, but he reached for her again, the primal need to touch her too strong.

The refrigerator door slammed shut when she forcefully backed him up against it as he continued to plunder her mouth, the heat pulsing through his jeans leaving her no doubt as to his level of interest. She arched her back, pressing her belly firmly into the evidence bulging through the confines of his pants, and he let out a low, soft growl that literally dampened her panties. She tore her lips away, pulled the offensive garment up and over his head, and threw it across the room.

Reaching for her again, he kissed her urgently before setting out to explore her body. Holding her securely, he kissed, licked, and nipped his way along the expanse of her neck, and she flung back her head, granting him easier access. Her knees weakened at the thought of him marking her. She wanted him to mark her, hell, she wanted to scream to the world they were together. She nearly cried when his mouth suddenly stopped its sweet torture, until she realized his intentions. He took hold of the back of her shirt, and pulled it up and over her head, before tossing it on the floor.

She grabbed him, pulling him back to her, his heat searing against her own, drawing moans from both parties as they continued to devour each other with frantic kisses. He undid the clasp of her bra and she tore it off, flinging it on the ground. He flipped them around, her back now up against the cold metal, effectively pinning her wrists together over her head with one hand as his mouth swarmed upon her breasts. Air glided over her moistened skin awakening every nerve ending; she ached to feel him inside her, but there were still too many clothes in the way.

Forcing her hands free, she dropped them to his waist, undid the button of his jeans, found his zipper, and tugged it down forcefully. He helped push his pants down to the ground, along with his underwear then ungracefully tried to step out of them, which would have been easier had he taken off his shoes first.

While he struggled with his wardrobe change, and in the essence of time, she pulled off her own pants and panties. He kicked them aside, and she licked her lips at the sight of his manhood, already wet with desire for her, calling to her.

Finally satisfied with their current state of undress, she lunged at him, her hands grasping both sides of his head as their lips fused together once more. She moaned into his mouth before moving downward to his neck and collarbone, showering kisses along the way. His cock twitched at her belly as if knocking for entrance, and she dropped to her knees taking his engorged cock in her hands, licking at the moisture pooled on the tip as he watched.

He needed to slow things down, to pleasure her, but she was driving him insane with desire. He mustered what little control he had left, pulled her to her feet, and then grabbed her ass, lifting her off the ground with ease, feeling twenty years younger, and then sat her down on the granite counter top.

"God, Kate, what you do to me." He muttered, with a slow, disbelieving shake of his head, his voice filled with wonder. The granite was hard and cold beneath her bottom, a sharp contrast to the blazing heat running rampant through her loins from the way he was looking at her. Adding fuel to the fire, she leaned back on her elbows and shot him a saucy look, nearly doing him in. He knew he'd explode if he wasn't inside her soon, but there was no way he was going to skip the fun stuff. He would never be satisfied until he made her lose control.

He made sure she was watching as he licked his finger slowly, seductively, purely for her benefit. She couldn't wait to see what he'd do with it. His cock grew harder as her reddened, well-kissed lips formed a perfect "O."

"Lay back." He demanded, his tone sending shivers along her spine. She nearly swooned at the sound of his voice - strong, dominate, and so fucking hot she worried she'd melt all over his expensive countertop. She laid back, hands at her sides, and forced her eyes shut. If he wasn't so turned on he would have been amused at how easily she acquiesced; he can't remember ever having seen her so agreeable.

Painstakingly slow, his moistened digit mapped out her body, from her chin to the holy land, traveling lower, and lower, grazing her soft curves, clearing the path for his mouth to follow.

He licked and kissed his way downward, lingering here and there, fascinated by the silkiness of her skin in contrast to the firmness of her pert rose-tipped breasts, mesmerized by the way her flat belly clenched from his kisses. The sounds she made combined with her womanly smell drove him wild; he longed to taste her.

Separating her folds with his thumbs, his mouth easily sought out her clit, alternating between nipping and licking as his tongue swirled frantically over its target again and again making her squirm beneath him.

"God Castle…," she cried, as her hands found their way into his hair and she pulled his mouth down harder; still, it wasn't enough. In her current position, with her long legs dangling off the counter, she had no leverage to pull herself up.

"Castle?" she yelped, shaking him by the shoulders until he stopped, and looked up at her, confused. "Not that I don't appreciate seeing you focused, because I really do, but I need you inside me – now!"

He had no reservations about her request, thanked God for being tall, and then asked her to scoot up a bit towards the edge. She happily obliged, spreading her legs wide and then wrapping them around his waist. She kissed him passionately, the taste of herself on his lips turning her on even more. He lifted up her bottom with both hands, and she reached for his hot, hard length, crying out as she guided him firmly into her body, filling her. He couldn't go slowly if he'd wanted to, but she insisted he move faster and harder, so he pounded into her again and again, with everything he had, their bodies slick with sweat from the workout they were getting. She grabbed at his rock hard globes, squeezing them as he moved in and out, the friction of his cock rubbing against her clit, amazing. He found her one perfect spot, hitting it repeatedly until stars flashed behind her closed lids. Overwhelmed with pleasure, her body shuddered and she came undone. Her quaking muscles gripped him tightly, pushing him closer and closer towards the edge as he filled her to the hilt, ramming into her once, twice, then a third time before finally joining her, calling out her name in ecstasy.

They stayed that way, taking a minute to catch their breath before he helped her down off the counter top. Suddenly feeling his age, he was anxious to get to a proper bed before his knees gave out, but then she leaned into him, resting her head over his heart, and looked up at him from under her long, dark lashes. She drew him down for one sweet, gentle kiss. "Kate?" he asked, as they basked in the aftermath.

"Yes, Rick?" she replied softly, her words vibrating into his chest as they held each other. He'd worn her out, and she couldn't wait to lie down, but he was so damn comfortable her eyes began to shut.

"You were right." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"How so?" She murmured.

"You _are_ better in the kitchen than I thought." He said, making her chuckle.

"Wait until you see what I can do with your washer and dryer." She said with a raised eyebrow and quick peck to his cheek, ignoring his incredulous stare. She released him, and they hunted and gathered up their clothes.

She took his hand and led him to his bedroom where they crawled into bed, kissed goodnight and curled themselves around each other spent, but content.

She'd nearly drifted off when she heard him.

"Kate?"

"Mmm."

"Tell me the truth…do you think we'll really be able to get Kris back to the North Pole in time for Christmas Eve?"

_Oh, my God, this again? And how is he not tired? _If she'd had any energy left, she'd be inclined to debate the facts with him, but as it was, sleep called her name.

"Castle, everything will work out, you'll see." She assured him. "Now you heard what Jordie, I mean Jordan, said earlier. We need our sleep."

"Okay Kate. You're probably right. Goodnight." He murmured into her hair, before his breathing leveled off indicating he'd succumbed to sleep.

She nestled in closer, and let out a heavy sigh, for despite her best efforts, the fate of Christmas and Kris Kringle still weighed heavily on his mind. She recanted Kris' interview in her head, and still not much of his story seemed plausible, however, she agreed with Castle that he needed their protection.

Sleep did not come easy for Kate, but in the end there was some consolation. When she did finally doze off, her dreams starred a surprisingly familiar, blue-eyed, forty-something hunk, with soft wavy hair, dressed head to toe in a red Santa suit. He called himself "Naughty Nick"…and he was.

Maybe she was wrong, maybe Christmas wasn't so bad after all.

A/N: If you don't mind reviewing...I wouldnt mind dancing with joy over them like an idiot. Just sayin' ;-) Thanks for reading! Karen


	5. Dirty Little Elves

_Disclaimer: __No these characters are not mine, however, I am thinking of deducting them from my taxes next year since they do appear to live with me__. __Title, Compliments of Miss Behavin._

_**A/N:**__ Thanks for the reviews, fav's and follows! You guys rock!_

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 5: Dirty Little Elves

Early the next morning Rick dropped Kate off at precinct, and then went back out to get them some coffee. On the ride over they'd both decided it would be better not to walk in together. Sure, Jordan had made it clear the night before, she was aware of the turn their relationship had taken, but both Kate and Rick agreed there was no need to call more attention to themselves.

Actually, that was a lie. The truth was, after their steamy love-making session in Rick's kitchen last night and Castle's _I totally got laid last night_ demeanor this morning, Kate had been more than adamant on the way to the precinct about keeping things professional during work hours. Based on Jordan's remarks in the hospital elevator yesterday she was obviously prepared to tease them about being a couple, and Kate refused to add fuel to the fire. Although still experiencing some difficulty subduing his exuberance, Rick conceded her point and agreed to drop her off first, even though he was dying to start working on the case. After all, time was of the essence if they were going to save Christmas.

The elevator doors opened to a hubbub of activity. Kate took a deep breath and braced herself. It wasn't even seven o'clock in the morning, however, the noise level made it feel more like the middle of the day. Jordan's team was busy setting up Santa's Workshop with at least ten agents, bristling about, in their distinct FBI dark attire. They reminded her of little ants building an anthill, and she guessed they'd been at it for hours. Kate passed them unnoticed, deposited her purse in her desk drawer, then spotted Gates in her office, speaking to Jordan behind closed doors. They must have somehow sensed Kate's arrival because they both turned to look at her, and then Gates waved her in. Kate nodded and was headed towards her office when both Ryan and Esposito appeared.

"Hey." "Yo." "Hey." They said, exchanging their standard morning greetings.

"Where's Castle?" Esposito asked, looking around.

"On his way." Kate replied, casually. Brushing off their interest in Castle's whereabouts, she immediately changed the subject.

"How'd it go last night at the blast site? Come up with anything?" She asked them.

The boys glanced over at Gates' office. Iron Gates did not look happy.

"Not much, really." Ryan said, grimacing, his focus back on Kate. "We're still waiting on an update from Agent Happy over there." He said, nodding to the tall, stone-faced agent behind the glass structure. "Bomb squad reported directly to him last night, and he's not much of a sharer if you know what I mean."

Kate nodded back, unsmiling. Sometimes the Feds forgot they were all on the same team.

"The blast site was a mess; blown to smithereens." Espo added. "Not sure exactly how that old man managed to survive the blast, but I'll say this…he's one lucky bastard."

"Yes he is. Very lucky." She agreed. "Unfortunately, he's also…slightly delusional." She paused, taking in their blank stares. They had no idea what she was talking about. "I'm sure by now you've heard our key witness, suspect, whatever, has a...Santa Claus complex?" She shook her head and sighed, wondering, not for the first time, why they always attracted the crazies.

"Yeah, we did." Ryan said, grinning like a kid at Esposito.

"We just wanted to hear you say it." Esposito laughed.

"Oh, and don't forget about his little elves." Ryan added, with a chuckle before feeding the birds with his partner.

Kate rolled her eyes at their antics. "First of all, they're dwarfs or Little People, not elves. Second, get to work." She instructed them sternly. "Go see what you can find out from the feds over there." She pointed with her chin in the direction of the Workshop. "Now wish me luck." She said, blowing a strand of hair from her forehead while eyeing Gates' office. "I'm going in."

They watched her disappear into the small office, and almost felt sorry for her. The tension seeped from Gates office, even through the closed door. Iron Gates hated not being in charge, and judging from her scowl, she was less than thrilled to be working under the FBI's thumb again. For once, her team could relate. The Feds always made them feel like they were on the outside, looking in, and frankly, they felt they could manage the case on their own.

Ryan checked his watch. "Seriously, where the hell is Castle?" He asked Esposito. "I would have thought he'd be all over this one. Freaking Santa Claus, our witness thinks he's Santa Claus. Only in New York dude. You've gotta love it."

"Oh, he'll be here." Esposito told him. "He wouldn't miss this for the world. Those two, they're just playing it cool for the sake of appearances bro. They don't want it to look like they drove in together, but...an explosion, fictional characters; possible mob-related hit...no way Castle would miss out on this." Espo was getting impatient and checked his watch. "Ten bucks says he walks through that door in five."

"You're on." Ryan said, synchronizing his watch with Espos. "I call eight minutes." Even if he lost, he didn't care. They had to bet on something at least twice a day, so the odds were good he'd make his money back soon enough.

Three minutes later Castle walked through the door and beamed at the swarm of Agents setting the final pane of glass on the stand encasing their cool work station. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the stuff they'd brought.

The boys watched as Castle, his eyes starry, stopped to admire the shiny technical equipment through the glass. Ryan sighed, and handed over ten bucks to a gloating Esposito. Castle pressed his nose up firmly against the pane of glass and the agent behind it flicked at the intrusion from his side, before shooting Castle a dirty look. Castle wiped his drool from the glass with his sleeve, and mouthed sorry, but continued gazing at their display from a safe distance.

"Twenty..." Espo said to Ryan, "says Castle believes Henry Jenkins is the real deal."

"You're on." Ryan replied, only slightly hesitating. "Make fun all you want, but Castle's not as big a goofball as you make him out to be. He just plays you man. He's a grown up, of course he doesn't believe in Santa Claus. I'm going to enjoy taking your money." He grinned.

"It's like taking candy from a baby." Espo quipped, to Ryan's chagrin.

Castle reluctantly pulled himself away from his post, and made his way towards the boys. He glanced over at Gates' office. They looked pretty serious in there, and he was dying to know what was being said. Not fully paying attention to where he was going, he nearly collided with Ryan.

"Hey Castle." Ryan replied, bemused by his distracted friend.

"Sorry Ryan." Rick said, placing Kate's nearly spilled coffee down on her desk. She would have killed him had he dropped it. "Sorry I'm late guys. What'd I miss?"

"Actually, Bro, you're right on time." Espo replied. "Party's just getting started."

Castle was smiling like a kid at Christmas, not even trying to tamper down his excitement. "Excellent! This case is going to be awesome!" he grinned, before sensing something was off. They were too quiet. Ah, the teasing was probably about to begin. Well, bring it on boys, because he was ready for it, expecting to find himself adrift in a sea of non-believers. "Did Kate tell you guys about Jenkins yet?" he asked, calmly, attempting to take his enthusiasm down a notch.

Espo and Ryan exchanged glances. "As a matter of fact she did Castle." Esposito replied, raising an eyebrow. "You met him, what's your take on the guy?"

"Yah Castle," Ryan seconded, nonchalantly. "Tell us. What did you think of him?"

Both detectives patiently awaited his response, which was what gave them away. Castle eyed them both carefully, and guessed they were betting on him again. Too bad he was on to them. Let them laugh. They'd change their tune once they met Kris and witnessed the magic firsthand. Even Kate will come around eventually.

"Can you believe the guy thinks he's Santa Claus?" Castle snorted, rolling his eyes. What a nut-job." It was hard not to laugh over Esposito's immediate disappointment and Ryan's subsequent glee. Yup, they were betting on him. Esposito, disgusted, nodded and turned away, pretending to organize the files on his desk. It drove him crazy to lose to Ryan.

Ryan, on the other hand, smiled victoriously. It was to be short-lived. While Esposito's back was turned, Castle with eyes wide and glowing, shook his head, and silently mouthed "no" and "awesome" to Ryan before breaking out into a huge grin and wiggling his eyebrows. Ryan's face fell and his mouth hung open. Just as fast, Castle lost the grin before Esposito turned back around.

Satisfied he'd sufficiently messed with both of them, for now anyway, he changed his focus. "They don't look happy." Rick said, referring to the meeting still being held in Gates' office. "What do you think is going on in there?"

"Beckett was just going in when we got here, so we don't know much yet." Ryan muttered, confused. "But I can guess why Gates is pissed." he continued, happy to refocus on anything other than his fully-grown friend believing in Santa Claus. Castle couldn't be serious! "This case is high profile. The brass probably isn't happy the FBI's running the show; makes it look like we can't handle it, and then we're expected to play nicey-nice." Esposito and Castle both nodded. Rick could certainly see Ryan's point, although he personally had no qualms working with the Feds, as long as he didn't have to work with one of Kate's ex-boyfriends again, and besides, he liked Jordan.

"It's open and shut anyway." Ryan continued. "This has mob written all over it. We don't need the Feds, and their high tech equipment, to tell us that. You ask me, what's needed here is some good old-fashioned police work. We haul the Mangosas and their henchmen in for questioning, toss em' in lock up, and be done with it. Case closed, tied up all nice and neat. We got this."

"I don't know Ryan. I'm not so sure…" Espo said, hesitantly, and much to their surprise. "Look, while I agree with you about working with the Fed's, I'm not sold this as a mob hit yet. The bomb squad still hadn't finished their report before we left last night, but I talked to a guy I know on the crew and he told me he didn't think it looked like a sophisticated explosive was used. The Mangosa family's got dime. They did this; they'd be able to afford the expensive stuff."

"Interesting." Castle said, mulling it over. "All signs pointed to the Mangosas, but if it's not them, who else would have motive?"

"Who knows? It could still be them." Esposito offered. "Maybe they hired some idiots to plant it, and they botched it. Lanie's doing the autopsies now. Maybe she'll have something we can use." The doors to the Captain's office opened and Kate and Jordan made their way over to them, while Gates stayed in her office, shutting the door behind them.

"Hey." Castle said to Kate, handing over the coffee he'd brought her. "Hey Jordan."

"Hey Castle. Thanks." Kate replied, making sure to avoid touching his fingers as she accepted the drink and trying very hard to act as though she hadn't woken up wrapped around him earlier. She grasped the cup tightly, and then took a deep breath before beginning. As she spoke they could practically hear Gates through Kate's recitation. "The Federal Bureau of Investigations has jurisdiction on this case, and under Agent Shaw's direction the NYPD will cooperate to the fullest extent in every way possible, to bring this case to closure. Any questions?" None of them said a word. "Good. Agent Shaw…"

"Good morning gentlemen." Jordan said to the group. "Nice to see you all again." She checked her watch. "Glad you could make it. Now let's get down to business. If you'll step into my lair we'll review what we've got so far." She directed them over to the Workshop, and they dutifully followed. As they were walking Espo silently forked over a twenty to Ryan, who hesitated only a moment before pocketing the bill.

The team looked around the Workshop in wonder. The FBI had once again transformed their section of the floor into a mini-command central that would have made even J. Edgar Hoover himself proud. And although the detectives might not like reporting to the FBI, it was hard to ignore the amazing toys they too now had at their disposal.

Jordan nodded to Agent Happy who was seated at the computer, and he pushed a few buttons. A photo popped up on the transparent glass panel. Kate and Castle immediately recognized Henry Jenkins, aka Kris Kringle. Dressed in his Santa suit, complete with hat, Kris had been exiting his apartment building when the photo was snapped. He looked as though he'd popped off a greeting card.

"Henry Jenkins," Jordan stated. "Or as he prefers, Kris Kringle." She chose to ignore their snickers. "They're doing a psych evaluation on him as we speak. We took that photo a few weeks ago while he was under surveillance." Another photo appeared on the screen. "This is Timothy Jones.," she said, pointing to his picture. Timmy was dressed in his elf costume and smiling up at Kris. "He's who we've been tailing…for the most part." She said, turning to her agents, and giving them the evil eye. She nodded to the agent at the computer and he brought up another photo. "And this, well this would be the notorious Tommy Frost. Tommy's on the top of Santa's naughty list due to the company he's been keeping." She said, with a touch of sarcasm. "Notice anything?" she asked, catching their surprise, but waiting for the obvious answer.

"Um, they're nearly identical." Castle gasped. And they were. The resemblance was uncanny. At first glance, you couldn't tell Timothy and Tommy apart. Both had similar coloring and were dressed in matching elf outfits, but upon closer examination, you could make out their slightly different features.

"Very good, Mr. Castle," Jordan replied. "Nearly, being the key word here. We could have used you earlier." Jordan said, turning to her team members, who unable to meet her eyes, either lowered their heads or looked away. "Apparently, it's possible…" she said dragging out the last word loudly enough for her entire team to hear, "We've been tailing the wrong man on occasion. We didn't know Tommy Frost existed until Jenkins informed us about him last night. Mr. Jenkins is cooperating with authorities and identified Tommy this morning from surveillance pictures. Per Jenkins, he last saw Tommy at their apartment building, yesterday or the day before, but due to a head injury sustained in last night's blast Jenkins' memory's fuzzy at best. Frost might be the key to this entire investigation. Unfortunately, he's also an elf on the run. He has a history of gambling, so we're watching the tracks, and we've got a BOLO out on him now."

"Agent Shaw?" Kate asked, hesitantly. "Do you have _any_ photos of these people _not_ dressed in costumes?" The elf thing was sort of creeping her out and she found herself longing for a good old-fashioned murder without the cast of costumed characters.

Ryan and Espo eyed each other, amused by Beckett's unease, both mentally reserving the right to use her apparent aversion to elves to their advantage at a future date.

"Actually, they're kind of cute." Rick said, as he studied the elf pictures closely.

Ryan too moved in a bit to get a better look. Castle was right, they were kind of cute. "They're so little." Ryan said aloud, smiling up at Castle.

Espo suppressed the desire to smack both of them. "Dudes!" He said, causing them to jolt upright and remember where they were. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Yes, they're adorable." Jordan added, with a tone that told them she really didn't think so. "Now, if I may continue?" She asked, raising her brows indicating the need for seriousness.

Sensing they appeared properly chastised, she pointedly returned to Kate's question. "They were always dressed in their costumes, so no, not from when they were under surveillance Detective, but we did take a few shots of Jenkins this morning at the hospital sans suit. They worked together at Macy's, it's Christmastime…we assumed they were dressed for work. Let's move on to our main suspects, the Mangosas. We have re-verified that it was Tommy Frost, not Timothy Jones, who was connected to them prior to the explosion, but we've yet to determine how. Was it just his gambling problem or more that brought them together?"

Jordan hit a button herself and brought up some more pictures. These, however, were decidedly not as whimsy.

The Mangosa brothers were not _adorable_ little elves, they would however, have made wonderful extras in any of the Godfather movies; unsmiling, scary, serious, and no doubt each a force to be reckoned with. These were intimidating men you would not want mad at you.

"Drago Mangosa," Jordan started, "The eldest of the remaining brothers and next in line to inherit the throne since Carlos' demise. He's a nasty, nasty man. Convicted on felony charges for racketeering about ten years ago, he's been out for the last two years thanks to a bevy of lawyers. Prior to that incident he was suspected of killing a patron in a bar fight, but got off on a technicality. He and Carlos were close, but he's always been in the shadow of his older brother. I predict he's going to be out to make a name for himself now that Carlos is gone. Drago's not as smooth as Carlos was, and far less bright. He'll screw up sooner or later, and we'll be there when he does."

She pointed to the other photo on the screen. "This, is Edmondo Mangosa, the youngest brother. We believe he manages the financial end of the family business. He's kept his hands clean by staying in the background. He's smart, graduated with honors, has a Masters in Business; not the type that likes to get his hands dirty. He'll be a little tougher to nail, however, if he does have one weakness it's that he idolized his big brother Carlos. Hopefully, we can find a way to use that to our advantage."

"You've have eyes on both of them, I assume?" Kate asked.

"Eyes, ears, and then some Detective." Jordan replied cryptically. "They're no Boy Scouts; they've been on our watch list for some time for drugs, gambling, and extortion, to name a few, but we ramped up our investigation after Carlos turned up dead. With management changing hands it could be easier to shut down their existing operation."

More photos popped up. "Beware of these two gems as well." Jordan told them. "Meet Vincent (Vinny) Costa and Bernardino (aka BB), Balboa. They used to run with Carlos, but word on the street is they're now on Drago's payroll. Vinny was Carlos' enforcer." Vinny looked like he would rip your head off if you asked him for the time. Big, burly, and in a seemingly bad mood when the photo was taken, he was 6' 5 and weighed in at around 300 lbs.

"His sidekick," she said pointing to the other photo. "Is Bernardino (BB) Balboa. Please note the wild, crazy eyes. They don't lie. He's a loose cannon, and his rap sheet reads like a Tarantino script. It's rumored he once shot a man because he'd told a bad joke. Fortunately for us, these charmers get caught…a lot. They've been in and out of jail, but always go back to the family. Use extreme caution; they are both considered to be armed and dangerous.

More pictures popped up, this time before and after pictures of the blast victims, including Timmy. It was standard procedure to look into each victim's background to see if there were any connections.

"We've interviewed the injured and the families of all the fatalities, except for Timothy's, and found nothing connecting them to the crime. It appears they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Jordan told them.

"Why not Timmy's family?" Kate asked.

"That's a good question, Detective." Jordan replied. "The answer, however, is a bit more puzzling. We're still trying to locate Timothy's family. I assure you, we're working on it." She said, slightly mumbling that last part.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Castle asked, perking up immensely. _God, he loved this case!_

She sighed. Castle could be a real pain in the ass when he wanted. "What I'm saying, Mr. Castle, is that, at the moment, other than Jenkins identifying him from a photo, we are unable to verify Timothy Jones in the system, therefore, we do not yet know who or where his family is." She needed to get this over with so they could move on. "For the record, we're having the same issue with both Henry Jenkins and Tommy Frost. In fact, it's like the three of them…don't exist...on paper, of course."

Confused glances were shared by the detectives as they silently pondered how such a thing was even possible. Surely, the Feds and their high-tech data matrix, should have been able to come up with something on one of the three men in question. Castle, on the other hand, smiled and looking positively smug, stole a glance at Kate. "You can't find Henry Jenkins in your system." Castle stated, with a mega-watt smile. Completely ignoring Kate's warning glare he pointed to Jordan.

"So…let me get this straight..." He started. God, both Kate and Jordan hated when he gloated. Jordan rubbed at the back of her neck, and the boys held their breath. Kate debated going home for the rest of the day and starting over again tomorrow. This briefing was doing nothing to suppress Castle's wild imagination, and they all waited for his crazy theories to begin. "What you're essentially saying…" He drew out, adopting a pondering pose, and clasping his chin as if deep in thought, "Is you can neither confirm, nor deny, Henry Jenkins is, or is not, Santa Claus. Am I right? Or am I right?" Agent Happy's head popped up at that, and he turned pointedly to his boss who rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "Fascinating, absolutely, fascinating." Castle muttered. The room grew silent, but for the sounds of Ryan pulling out the twenty he'd received earlier which he then handed over to his grinning partner, who in turn snapped it loudly before stuffing it in his pocket. Kate shot them a dirty look telling them with her eyes to knock it off.

"Really?" Jordan challenged. "Are we really going there, Mr. Castle? Rest-assured, we will continue our search on their backgrounds, and eventually will find something. _Nobody_ evades the FBI for very long, including those masquerading as fictional characters. Now, if I may continue…" The detectives nodded, relieved to change the subject before Castle got himself kicked off the case. Castle waved his hand, as though politely allowing her to proceed. He would laughingly point out to Kate later how he'd made Jordan's ears turn red here. Once Kate was talking to him again that was.

"Preliminary findings suggest the bomb used appears to have been home-made, which is not what we expected to find." Jordan continued. Esposito shot Ryan a look at that screamed _See, I told you. _ "Our analysts are still working on the full report, and we should have something more conclusive shortly, meanwhile, the victims are being autopsied by your medical examiner, Dr. Parish and her team."

Jordan turned to Kate. "Until these findings are in, I suggest Detectives Esposito and Ryan follow up at the hospital with Dr. Sawyer, the head of Psychology, for an update on Jenkins' psych exam results, and then check in on Jenkins, while we head over to Macys. I, for one, am interested to know what the personnel department has on file for their quirky little employees. The rest of my team will continue to watch the Mangosas, hunt for Tommy Frost, and complete the background searches. We can all meet back here later." Kate nodded, agreeing with Jordan's plan, which the boys then acknowledged in turn.

With the briefing ended, the detectives headed back to their desks to sort out the paperwork they'd been handed from Agent Happy and to retrieve their coats and keys before leaving on assignment. Lagging slightly behind Beckett and Esposito, Ryan tugged at Castle's sleeve and pulled him discretely aside. He made sure no one was in earshot. "Castle, you have to knock this shit off dude." He whispered. "Shaw's going to kick your ass off this case."

"What do you mean?" Castle asked, feigning innocence.

"You know exactly what I mean." Ryan replied, determined to keep Castle out of trouble. "Knock it off." He whispered.

"Still not following..." Castle replied.

"Seriously, Castle. This stuff about Jenkins being Santa Claus. You have to stop or Agent Shaw's going to toss your ass outta here. Stop clowning around."

Rick had come to his first crossroads. It was time to tell Ryan he was absolutely serious about his belief in Kris, and damn the consequences. He wasn't overly concerned. How hard could it be? Ryan, out of everyone, had the most open mind. Surely, he'd be the easiest to convince. He looked him in the eyes. "Kevin. I'm not fooling around here. I am serious. Wait until you meet him, then you'll see for yourself. This guy IS Santa Claus. I'm sure of it."

Ryan stared at him in disbelief. Exasperated, he pulled Castle around the corner and verified the others were still out of earshot. "Castle, get a grip. There is NO such thing as Santa Claus. It might, however, be the perfect time for you to take a day off…to relax, I mean, and possibly see a doctor."

Okay, so it might be harder to convince Ryan than he'd originally thought, but Rick knew how important it was to have him on his side if he was going to convince the others. He tried again. "I know it sounds crazy Kevin, believe me, I was skeptical too. At first, I thought he was just a nice old man with whiskers, but then something unexpected happened, something magical. Last night, when I shook his hand, and he looked into my eyes...he remembered me, Kevin." Rick said, the awe evident in his voice.

Ryan felt a headache coming on. He loved Castle like a brother, he really did, but sometimes even he became exhausted by all of the guy's crazy theories."Of course he remembered you Castle. Your face appears on millions of dust jackets. Be real."

"No. Trust me, that's not how he knows me. He remembered me from when I was a child." Ryan's brows knitted together, and his mouth opened like he was about to argue the point. Castle was losing him. "But wait! There's more!" Castle said, effectively cutting him off. Ryan took a deep breath and tried to be patient. "I remembered him too, but not fully, until I woke up this morning. I've been having flashbacks; memories probably embedded deep in my subconscious all these years. I caught him once when I was very young. I couldn't have been more than six. I guess I was so excited about Christmas I couldn't sleep and woke up in the middle of the night. Mother was asleep. I crept out to the living room to see if he'd come…and there he was, standing next to our tree.

"_Hello young man," Kris said quietly, when he caught me watching him. "You should be in bed." He gently admonished, but with a twinkle present in his eyes, so I could tell he really wasn't mad at all. "Are you really Santa Claus?" I asked him. "Of course I am." He replied. "Who else would be dressed up in a suit like mine on Christmas Eve?" This seemed to make perfect sense, so I introduced myself. "I'm Ricky Castle." I told him, extending my hand. "Oh, yes, son. I know who you are. That's why I'm here." He said, chuckling and taking my hand in his. "You made the good list." I was happy to hear this, since I had broken one of mother's vases the day before, but some things still didn't add up. "How did you get in here?" I asked. "I saw Mother lock all the doors earlier." He let out a chuckle at that, apparently I amused him. "My, my, what a curious young man you are, Ricky." He laughed. "Well, I don't like to brag and I don't normally do this, but if you promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you." He smiled, and then leaned down conspiratorially. "Why it's magic, son, magic." He whispered in my ear. "Magic?" I repeated. He seemed like a really nice guy, but I still didn't believe him. "I've seen magic tricks Santa." I told him. "But Mother said they weren't real. She said sometimes grown-ups can play tricks on you." He paused and scratched his chin. "Oh, I see. Well, I venture to say, your mother is one smart cookie, and she's raising a very bright little boy, but mark my words young man, magic is possible, if you believe. Someday… someday you will witness extraordinary things, wonderful things you simply can't explain, but they will bring so much joy, you will choose to stop questioning how they happened, and instead enjoy the fact that they did indeed happen." He seemed so sure he was right. "Well, I really must be going. Busy, busy, you know." He shook my hand one more time. "It was a pleasure meeting you." He said, picking up his sac and hauling it over his shoulder. Then he smiled at me. "Remember what I said son…you must believe." I nodded back and then turned around for just a second to get the tray of cookies we'd left out for him, but when I'd turned back around to offer him one, "poof" he was gone. He had vanished into thin air... _

Ryan was at a loss for words. Castle had finally gone off the deep end, and although the trip into Richard Castle's psychosis was amusing, he could only, in good conscience, humor him for about another minute. "So then what happened?"

"Nothing. That was it. The next thing I knew, Mother was waking me up on Christmas morning. I'd fallen asleep on the couch. Oh, and that was the year I got my first toy typewriter. That thing was great. The label on it said it came from Sears, but Mother insisted it was from Santa."

Ryan was staring at him as though he'd lost his mind. This was much harder than he'd thought it would be. "I can't explain it better than that right now Kevin, but you have to believe me. Once you meet Kris you'll understand. There's this overwhelming, indescribable feeling. This man, the man the others will call Jenkins, but not you or I, he IS Santa Claus. Have I ever misled you before?" Castle realized, albeit too late, this was probably not his best defense.

"Um, Castle?" Ryan said. "I hate to break it to you, but how good is your memory on the following...the killer's a zombie, ice bullets, time traveling killer, evil twins... any of these ringing a bell? Dude, you've had more crazy theories than the X-Files."

"Okay, well, if you want to get nitpicky. There _may_ have been a hole in one or two of my theories in the past, however, who's to say they won't be true…someday, but that's neither here nor there." He put a hand on each of Ryan's shoulders and leaned in. He looked him intently in the eyes. "Kevin. Listen to me. This time…this time I'm right, and you have to trust me. I'm not crazy."

"Castle? Are you coming or what?" Kate called from across the room, causing Rick and Kevin both to jump. She and Jordan were headed into the elevator.

"Yes! Be right there." He replied, before turning back to Kevin again. "I've got to go. All I ask is that you keep an open mind." Kevin looked skeptical, but decided to humor him.

"Okay. I'll keep an open mind." Ryan finally agreed. He watched as Castle grabbed his coat and bolted to catch up to Kate and Jordan. Kate was impatiently holding the door open for him. Once inside, Castle smiled at him and gave him two thumbs up before the doors shut.

"So, ladies..." Castle said, turning to them and gleefully rubbing his hands together. "Who wants to go shopping for clues?"

"What was that all about?" Esposito asked, sneaking up quietly alongside of Ryan. Now they were both staring straight ahead at the closed elevator doors.

"Nothing." Kevin replied, shaking his head, which was still spinning from his conversation with Castle. There was no way in hell he was getting into it again with Esposito. He sought solace in the fact that he'd only lost thirty bucks on his nutty friend earlier, when really, it could have been much worse, and tried to ignore the nagging little voices in his head reminding him of the times a few of Castle's crazy theories had been either not too far-fetched or spot on accurate.

"Yo. Come on dude, let's get going." Espo said, snapping his partner out of his reverie. Ryan looked upset, but obviously wasn't ready to talk about it. Espo knew he'd find out eventually what Ryan and Castle were holed up about, but until then they had an assignment to carry out. "Don't want to keep Kris Kringle waiting." He chuckled, noting his words did nothing to soothe Ryan's unease.

_A/N: Thanks so much for reading and for your patience on the update! I hope you liked it. I realize it took awhile to post this chapter, but that's because I stopped to plot out the entire story through to the end, which I'd never tried doing before. It sure is harder than you'd think! __ This will be a long one and my first real case, so any feedback, good or bad would be appreciated. The next chapter is already in the works, but your reviews keep me moving! Karen_


	6. Put One Foot In Front Of The Other

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 6  
PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER

Disclaimer: The gang's in no way mine, but I love them like they were.

Doctor Sawyer greeted Detectives Esposito and Ryan with a warm handshake as they entered his office at the hospital. Compared to both detectives, he was quite tall, in his late forties, with slightly graying hair. The doctor hung up his white lab coat and then took a seat behind his big mahogany desk. He seemed like an amiable fellow judging from the friendly greeting.

"So I understand you're here to talk about Kris." The doc said, the smile spreading easily across his face. He looked as though he'd just been told a good joke, and both detectives wondered what was so funny.

"You mean Henry Jenkins." Esposito corrected.

"Oh, yes, sorry, of course…Mr. Jenkins." Dr. Sawyer chuckled, shaking his head at himself. "Forgive me, but I just left him. He's adamant I call him Kris. He's really quite something, huh?"

"We haven't actually met him yet." Ryan answered, fidgeting slightly in his seat. "We're planning on stopping by to see him after this meeting."

"Ah, well then, you're in for a real treat." The doc grinned.

"So I've heard." Ryan muttered to himself, before rephrasing, albeit with some hesitancy. "Um, why do you say that Doctor?"

"Well, because Kris, I mean Mr. Jenkins, insists he's Santa Claus; the real deal. It's quite fascinating actually, and as you might imagine, not something one comes across every day. He's highly entertaining. I almost called my wife. Thought about asking her to bring the kids down to meet him."

Esposito's eyebrows rose to his hairline and Ryan's mouth hung open. They both stared at the doctor in disbelief, trying to determine whether he was serious or not.

"You'd bring your own children in to meet one of your psych patients?" Esposito asked carefully, wondering when the doc's last check-up was.

"Oh, Kris isn't psychotic, nor is he a danger to himself or anyone else, Detectives. In fact, he's a real gentleman, very...old school. You'll see when you meet him. He has the most marvelous outlook on life!" Dr. Sawyer caught their blank stares, and felt the need to explain further. "I have to confess, in my line of work I'm called upon to examine a lot of unusual people, from all walks of life, many of them hardened criminals; it can be rather unpleasant, but this…" He trailed off, smiling, leaning back in his chair. "Well, this was the most fun I've had in ages."

"So you're telling us you believe it's okay that he goes on believing he's Santa Claus?" Esposito asked, raising his eyebrows. _What a character._

Both detectives openly stared at Dr. Sawyer as they awaited his response.

"No, Detectives, of course not…," he said, trying to laugh it off, his eyes darting across the room. "That would be absurd." He continued, pausing a moment to consider his words carefully before clearing his throat and rephrasing calmly. "What I'm saying is, there's no cause for alarm, and given the circumstances Mr. Jenkins' behavior is perfectly understandable."

"Doctor could this be some sort of post traumatic stress disorder?" Esposito asked.

"Yes… yes, that is _exactly_ what I've concluded." Dr. Sawyer replied, happy for an intelligent response.

"PTSD." Ryan repeated aloud, as he wrote it down in his notepad. "That's your official call after the psych evaluation you gave him earlier this morning?" For the sake of professionalism, Ryan tried to stifle his grin, when in fact he was thrilled; at long last, he had an official doctor-certified, logical explanation he could share with Castle.

"You mean the standard testing he underwent this morning?" The doctor said. "Oh, he passed that with flying colors, then we talked for awhile and I gave him a physical exam. Gentlemen, it's my opinion that while yes, he does imagine himself to be a fictional character, I believe it's only a temporary set-back. All of his other faculties appear to be in place, and he exhibits a clear understanding of right and wrong. He does suffer from some slight depression over the loss of a dear friend, but that's perfectly natural considering what he's been through."

"What can you tell us about his memory loss?" Esposito asked. "Do you think it will come back?"

"His memory issues are most likely compliments of the knock to the head he received, but I've reviewed his head CT's and they all came back normal. He's been through a very traumatic experience, so this type of memory loss is not highly unusual. My opinion is his fixation on Santa Claus and the short-term memory loss he's experiencing are both temporary and will most likely subside on their own over time once he comes to terms with the loss of his friend. I also believe after he's fully healed from the injuries he sustained in the explosion, he'll be able to function on his own in society again. So, if you're asking if I deem him sane, then the answer is yes. He's no crazier than you or I, Detectives."

"Doctor, has he discussed with you anything that might help us with our case?" Esposito asked. "Did he mention seeing someone, or hearing anything that could help us find whoever is responsible for last night's explosion?"

The doctor stiffened, and then clasped his hands together. "I'm sure I don't have to remind the NYPD about the rules of doctor-patient confidentiality, and really I would like to help, but unfortunately, whatever Kris told me in confidence you will have to hear directly from him. I can assure you however, my only concern during the time I spent with Kris was for my patient's health."

Esposito's eyes narrowed and he worked to keep his temper in check. "How would you rate his physical health, Dr. Sawyer?" Ryan quickly interjected, in an attempt to keep the interview on track.

Esposito studied the doc's diplomas on the wall and his jaw clenched. He couldn't help but frown. _Should have known...Ivy League.  
_  
Dr. Sawyer followed Esposito's line of vision. "I assure you, Detective; I graduated at the top of my class at Columbia." He said, wryly. Then he paused, taking a moment to study Esposito much like one would a lab rat. "I'm sensing you're experiencing some trust issues, Detective. We could talk about them." He said, genuinely concerned. He ran a finger over his open appointment book. "As it so happens, I had an hour open up for later this afternoon if you'd like to come back." He smiled.

Ryan snorted and Esposito shot him a dirty look before turning back to Dr. Sawyer. "No. I'm all good Doc, thanks. How about we focus on Henry Jenkins for the time being?"

Dr. Sawyer rubbed his chin slowly, and then nodded, before continuing. "Physically, Kris' injuries from the explosion are mostly superficial. The abrasions on his head, legs and arms are healing nicely, although he did suffer a minor sprained right ankle, which didn't require any setting. He's able to walk on his own however it will be with the assistance of a cane for the next few weeks. Age is always a factor in the recovery process, not that he would admit to what his actual age really was," he chuckled. "But I'd venture to guess he's in his mid to late seventies. He'll need plenty of rest and I recommend you have him keep his leg elevated tonight and whenever possible."

"So, he's free to be released from the hospital?" Ryan asked, jerking his head back. Surprised, he turned to Esposito, who with raised eyebrows stared back at him in silent communication. Neither had been expecting Jenkins to be released into their custody so quickly. They'd have to call this in to Beckett, see what she wanted them to do.

"Technically, yes," Dr. Sawyer replied. "Although I'd prefer to keep him overnight for one more day as a precaution, and then officially release him tomorrow morning. That being said, I'd like to see him back here again in about a week or so for a follow-up physical and to re-assess his mental status. If we don't see any improvements we'll need to schedule some physical therapy and counseling sessions. Everything's all here in my report." He said, handing it to Ryan.

"Once he's released from the hospital it would be best if he stayed with someone until he's able to fully manage on his own again." The detectives glanced at each other, their foreheads wrinkling. Agent Shaw hadn't said a safe-house was set up yet. The doctor noted their silence.

"Does he have somewhere to go? A relative, perhaps?" The doctor asked, awaiting confirmation.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing left of his apartment and as of yet, we're not able to locate his next of kin." Ryan explained. "We're working on it."

Dr. Sawyer's brows wrinkled as he looked from Esposito to Ryan. "Look…I suppose the hospital could make an exception, keep him here an extra day or so, or I'd be happy to have someone contact Social Services on his behalf, but seeing as there are still guards posted outside his door I naturally assumed he would continue to be under your protection. Perhaps there's someone you know, willing to let Kris stay with them for a short while, to look after him?"

Neither detective was about to reveal to a civilian exactly how Jenkins would continue to be part of their investigation, but Ryan could see the doctor was concerned for his patient's welfare. It was only a moment before it hit him, and then he grinned widely at Esposito with a knowing look. A second later his partner grinned back.

"Don't worry Doc." Ryan said, smiling confidently. "That won't be necessary. We can pretty much guarantee you, we know the perfect man for the job. Mr. Jenkins will be well taken care of."

"We'll call this in to our boss," Esposito told the doctor. "Let you know if she wants him to stay the night and be discharged in the morning." Meeting concluded, they rose and shook hands with Dr. Sawyer before departing.

Ryan and Esposito left the doctor's office and walked through the corridors to Henry Jenkins' room. They were both quiet for a bit, reflecting on the doctor's prognosis of their witness.

"So, what's your take on what the Doc said about Jenkins?" Ryan finally asked.

"I think the Doc's got a few screws loose, is what I think dude. Been hanging around his patients too long." Esposito replied. "I may not have gone to an Ivy League school, and I'm no doctor, but it doesn't sound like Jenkins is right in the head to me, yet."

Ryan nodded back, but prayed for Jenkins' sake, Esposito was dead wrong and the doctor knew exactly what he was doing.

Two FBI agents were posted outside Jenkins' door as expected, the hallway was quiet, and everything looked to be under control. The guards had been notified the detectives would be stopping by, so they were in no way alarmed by their presence, however the boys still had to identify themselves and show their badges before being granted access to Jenkins' room. Esposito asked the agents for a brief update on their monitoring of Jenkins and was told there had been no disturbances.

Ryan stared at the closed door while his partner spoke to the guards. The promise he'd made earlier to Castle repeated loudly on a loop in his head, accompanied by some rather disturbing visions of dancing sugarplums. He tried unsuccessfully to shake them off, but mixed emotions weighed heavy on his mind. Taking a deep breath he ran his hand through his hair, unsure which should worry him more; the likelihood one of his best friends was certifiable, or the possibility he was about to come face to face with the real, live Santa Claus.

"Yo. You coming?" Esposito asked, instantly ending his partner's musing. Ryan snapped to attention, and then straightened his tie. Esposito wondered, not for the first time that day, what the hell was up with his somewhat distracted partner.

"Yeah. Let's do this." Ryan replied, with authority.

Esposito nodded back slowly. Whatever Ryan had on his mind, he'd hear about in due time, so he'd let it go for now. Esposito turned and entered the room, with Ryan following closely on his heels. The door closed behind them.

Esposito stopped dead in his tracks, and raised his right hand to halt their movement, causing Ryan to nearly collide with him. Esposito moved off to the side.

"Woah." Ryan muttered, once he realized why his partner had stiffened. No Jenkins. The bed was empty; the blanket lay prone on the floor. Adrenaline shot through their bodies, and they instinctively drew their guns. Esposito silently motioned for Ryan to check the bathroom on the left, while he moved to the right side of the room to check behind the dressing curtain. Ryan slowly turned the handle, opening the bathroom door with his left hand, gun poised in his other. He flung the door open and stepped inside. Nothing. The room was empty.

"Clear." He shouted to Esposito. Ryan stepped back into the main room, swinging the bathroom door shut and began looking around for clues. Esposito was already on the phone, dialing out for back-up.

"What the hell?" Esposito, mad as hell, yelled to Ryan. "Tell those two idiots out there our guy's in the wind!"

Ryan turned to do just that when the bathroom door re-opened and out wobbled a little old man in a nightgown, using a cane. Startled, they both quickly raised their weapons, pointing them directly at the intruder. Ryan's mouth hung open. He'd checked the small room. Nobody was in there! What the hell was going on?

Upon seeing who he could only assume was Jenkins, Esposito promptly lowered his weapon and told dispatch it was a false alarm, before disconnecting his cell phone call. Ryan slowly put away his weapon, but continued to stare incredulously at the old man.

"Oh, I have visitors! Marvelous, simply marvelous!" The older man said, gleefully as he hobbled his way back towards the bed. "Hello, Gentlemen. Do pardon my appearance," He said, referring to his nightgown. "But nature called, you know."

Esposito glared at Ryan. "I thought you said no one was in there Ryan!"

Ryan immediately went on the defensive. "There wasn't!" He snapped back.

As they continued to argue, Kris stood by and felt simply terrible. He certainly hadn't meant to be the cause of any conflict between friends. This was entirely his fault, and he vowed then and there to make things right. If only he'd been faster. His wife would be quick to admonish him for always boasting of his speed and accuracy. The truth was he did much better with chimneys. Hospital vents were rather cumbersome, and he wasn't getting any younger.

The boy's bickering came to a standstill, and they both turned from each other to scrutinize Kris carefully.

"I just checked that room, and you…you, were most definitely NOT in there!" Ryan accused, pointing to him. Kris put on his most innocent face - the same one that had gotten him out of many a jam with the misses. Clear blue eyes met twinkling blue ones, and Ryan felt his heart-rate slow, despite his previous distress.

Kris held out his hand for Ryan to shake, and smiled. "So nice to meet you. I'm Kris Kringle."

Although still wary, Ryan accepted his handshake. "Detective Kevin Ryan, NYPD." Then he motioned to Esposito, who'd stopped mid-way to answer his ringing phone. "This is my partner, Detective Esposito. We're working in conjunction with the FBI, investigating last night's bombing of your apartment building."

"Yo." Esposito said, nodding from across the room.

"Yo." Kris replied, delighted, nodding to Esposito with a smile. Esposito's brows wrinkled, but he shook it off and went back to his call.

"We'd like to ask you a few more questions." Ryan told him calmly, immediately feeling remorseful for yelling at the older man; he seemed like a really nice person. Thank God, Jenny wasn't here. If she was, she would have handed him his ass on a silver platter for scaring a nice old man like that. What had he been thinking?

"Of course." Kris replied. "I'd be happy to help."

"I'm sorry if we scared you before." Ryan apologized.

"No worries, young man." Kris replied. "You and your friend were only doing your job. It's perfectly understandable."

"Still, that's no excuse." Ryan told him, staring down at his shoes.

"Nonsense. All is forgiven, son." Kris said, leaning up against the bed, then attempting to hop up on to it, unfortunately, with little success. Ryan jumped to his aid.

"Here, let me help you." He said, helping Kris into bed.

"You were always such a polite, even-tempered young man, Kevin..." Kris said looking up at him and smiling. "Even with all those sisters." He added with awe. "It tickles me, no end, to see you still have such wonderful manners."

At first Ryan's eyes widened, but then he found himself agreeing and blushing. "I know, right!" He said, as he adjusted Kris' blanket. _Wouldn't want him to catch cold, what with the big day coming up._ "Um, Santa?" He whispered, conspiratorially to Kris, his back turned away from Esposito to ensure they wouldn't be overheard. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Why, certainly Kevin." Kris replied.

"Can you please remember to mention that to my wife when you meet her?" Ryan asked, still blushing and with a closed-lipped smile, revealing he'd been pleased by the compliment. Kris readily agreed and Kevin beamed at him. He could hardly wait another minute to get back to the precinct to share the news with Castle_. Holy crap! Santa Claus said I have nice manners!  
_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Jordan, Kate, and Castle made their way through the crowds at Macy's, stopping to check out the Santa Claus display where Kris, Timmy, and Tommy had worked. Castle studied the replacement Santa, immediately declaring Kris' replacement not up to par. The man's beard was obviously fake, and his eyes didn't twinkle like Kris' did. The cheap red suit he donned was mediocre at best, and clearly padded around the belly. There were no rosy cheeks or mischievous smile. This charlatan was no Kris Kringle, of that he was certain. Jordan appeared unaffected by Castle's ramblings, while Kate on the other hand, looked like she wanted to smack him for embarrassing her in front of the FBI agent.

Regardless, the line to sit on the imposter's lap was a mile long as children and parents waited impatiently for their turn on upon the stage. Parents whined, children cried, and Castle really couldn't blame any of them. For in his eyes they were each being cheated, and therefore should be outraged. Since they had a few minutes to kill before their meeting with the Human Resources manager, Jordan suggested they watch for awhile to get a feel for where Kris, Tim, and Tommy had worked together. All in all, they counted seven people manning the busy station.

"We should question the workers." Jordan said quietly to Kate, who nodded back. "They probably know our guys." Kate pulled out a pad and took some notes as they continued to scope out the area.

There was a young girl in a long, red, velvet dress wearing a white wig and old-fashioned spectacles portraying who they presumed to be Mrs. Claus, and a teenage boy and girl both dressed in green elf outfits, whose job it was to escort the kids onto the stage to meet Santa. Once on stage, the children would sit upon Santa's lap before they all posed for a photo op. There was a photographer present, along with his assistant, and lastly, a very tall girl dressed in a ridiculous oversized elf costume, probably explaining why she'd been delegated to working behind the register. His eyes widened, her mere size causing him to do a double-take. He noted her name tag. Holly...was at least 6' 4", the hat making her appear even taller, and he just couldn't stop himself from staring. He would never have guessed they even made elf costumes that big and briefly wondered where she shopped since an elf costume was one of the few left he didn't own. He continued to examine her costume and then watched as she processed a credit card payment from the next customer in line.

She must have sensed someone's eyes on her because she turned suddenly and glared, shooting death-rays in his direction from her big, brown elfin eyes. He turned, looking around in the hope someone else was the recipient of her fury, however there was no one else behind him. Their eyes met once again. The hair on his arms stood at attention; warning bells rang out. Elf-girl was more than a little intimidating, and he found himself cringing, yet strangely enough, unable to look away.

For an oversized-elf working with children, she was pretty damn scary. He attempted to give her one of his best smiles, but she was apparently unimpressed. This surprised him since he would never have expected to come across an elf in such a bad mood; especially during Christmastime. He tried not to dwell on it. Even so, he made a mental note to let Beckett and Jordan be the ones to question her later. Yes, while true, Beckett had established an aversion to elves earlier that morning, she also carried a gun. Holly's eyes narrowed and followed him as he moved to stand closer to Beckett, grabbing her elbow to get her attention. He forced himself to become immersed in her and Jordan's conversation, then anxiously asked Kate what time it was. After checking her watch, much to his relief, she said it was nearing the time of their appointment. Thankfully, they agreed it was time to go.

Amidst the chaos, Kate managed to hail down a roving store manager and after flashing her badge, was given directions on how to get to the corporate offices. The three made their way through the crowds, and then rode the elevator to the top floor administrative offices.

"We're here for a meeting with Mrs. Walker." Kate said, flashing her badge to the receptionist at the front desk. "We have an appointment."

The girl held up a finger to shush them for a moment while she continued helping the customer on the phone. She then pointed to the guest register. They signed in and then took a seat in the lobby while they waited for her to finish up.

Jordan and Kate discussed the case while Castle sat quietly, pretending to pay attention. Kate pulled out her notepad and looked over her entries.

"Stop pouting, Castle!" Kate said, noting his frown, although her eyes never left the page she'd been reviewing.

He crossed his arms over his chest, but said nothing. Finally he let out a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong?" Kate finally asked, looking up at him, and minutely shaking her head.

"Nothing." He replied, sounding more like a petulant child, rather than a full-grown man. She didn't buy it, and he watched as she narrowed her eyes at him. She was almost scarier than Elf-girl. Almost.

"Nothing, really…" He trailed off. Beckett stared at him in silence.

"It's just...well, can you believe that guy?" Castle said, disgusted.

"What guy?" She asked. She sincerely had no idea as to what he was talking about.

"Their Santa." He replied. She still wasn't getting it, so he tried again. "The guy in the red suit from before?" Same blank stare. _She has no clue. Jordan, he could understand, but Kate? How does she not see this?_

Her eyebrows squished together, forming that tiny little line across her forehead which he normally found adorable, but at the moment just aggravated him. Finally, he just blurted it out. "He was a disgrace I tell you! He looked nothing like Kris!" He said, exasperated and shaking his head. "Kris would be very disappointed."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Castle? This again? You need to let it go. We get it -you don't approve of their choice of Santa, but I promise," She said, with a hand on his arm. "The children will survive." _Oh, my God…I can't wait for this case to end. Boy, when the man decides to focus, he really gives it his all. Works in the bedroom. Here, not so much._

"Actually, I thought he was rather...festive." Jordan said, seriously, piping in.

He could feel his blood pressure rise and was about to reply, until he saw the corners of her mouth turn up, as did Kate's. Then Kate snorted. He decided to sit and mope. They were always messing with him, these two.

Jordan and Kate continued to discuss the case as he sat back silently and stewed. Women. He'd never understand them. He chose to tune them out, content to listen to the receptionist, still on the phone. The man she was talking to was pretty angry. He could hear him yelling at her through the receiver. The girl was trying to reassure him Macy's would gladly call his bank to look into the erroneous charges that had appeared on his statement, but it didn't sound like he was listening to her. The yelling ceased eventually, but only because the caller appeared to have hung up on the poor girl. She shook her head, let out a sigh, then put her phone back down in the cradle. She then turned her attention to her guests.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting." She apologized. "I'll go let Mrs. Walker know you're here." She was gone only for a moment before returning to escort them back to her boss' office.

Mrs. Walker, the head of Human Resources, rose to greet them. She was in her mid-thirties, a pretty woman, with red curly hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a cream tailored business suit with sensible shoes. Introductions were made and hands were shook. "Please, won't you sit down?" She said, with a delightful Irish brogue. They all took a seat. "I apologize for making you wait, but the phone's been ringing off the hook all day. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Mrs. Walker," Jordan started. "We're here as part of an ongoing investigation into the recent bombing of an apartment building. We're hoping you can answer a few questions regarding three of your employees; Henry Jenkins, Timothy Jones, and Tommy Frost."

"Apartment bombing? I'd heard about that on the news. Tell me that wasn't Kris' apartment building!" Mrs. Walker said, surprised. She took in their somber expressions. "Oh, no. Are they okay?"

"I'm sorry to inform you, but it was their apartment building, and Timothy Jones was killed in the explosion last night." Jordan said. They watched as her face paled.

"Killed?" Mrs. Walker whispered, clearly upset. "Timothy's dead? Oh, my goodness, this is terrible. Such a lovely man, with a heart of gold. And Kris…," She paused. "He must be absolutely devastated! I knew something bad had happened when they didn't show up for work today! Kris would never desert the children." Her comment got Castle's attention. She seemed to be a big fan of Kris', causing Castle to wonder what she knew about Kris, and if she too, was a believer. "Were Kris and Tommy injured? Are they going to be alright?" Their faces remained stoic.

Despite the fact they weren't being very forthcoming, Mrs. Walker simply had to ask what was on her mind. "Is Kris in some sort of trouble? Surely, you can't think he had something to do with this? Why Kris wouldn't hurt a fly."

"We're still investigating." Jordan explained. "Mr. Jenkins is recuperating from injuries he sustained at the time of the explosion, but that's all we're really at liberty to say at this time." Mrs. Walker nodded back in understanding.

"I notice you call Henry Jenkins, Kris, Mrs. Walker." Castle said. "Why is that?"

His question threw her off guard. She pressed her lips together. "Well it is his nickname, for obvious reasons." She said carefully, and with a forced smile. Castle studied her closely. "He simply insisted, and I really didn't see the harm. He's such a lovely man, and besides, many people have nicknames nowadays." She answered, offering a perfectly logical explanation, although she wouldn't look him in the eyes, turning instead to Jordan and Kate. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear Kris will be alright." She said, attempting to change the subject.

"Can you tell us the last time you saw Tommy Frost?" Kate asked.

She thought it over. "I believe it was the day before yesterday. He was working over at our Santa exhibit. Why? Is he missing?"

"Yes, actually, he is missing, but how did you know that?" Kate questioned.

"It's just that he often does that…disappears, I mean. There have been many times he didn't bother to show up for work. I would have fired him by now if it hadn't been for Kris talking me out of it, and I would honestly do anything for Kris." Castle decided he liked this woman, and also that she knew the truth about who Kris really was.

"If you do see Tommy, please notify us immediately." Beckett said, handing her a business card. "He's wanted for questioning and may possibly be in danger. If he does make contact with you I can be reached at that number." Jordan offered her the same, handing over her card as well.

"What can you tell us about Mr. Jenkins, I mean Kris?" Jordan asked, trying to put the woman at ease.

This question brought the smile back to Mrs. Walker's face. "Well, I can tell you he's the best Santa we've ever had. So very... authentic, and he really loves children. I personally couldn't have asked for a better replacement."

"Replacement?" Castle asked, his interest peaked.

"Yes. I met Kris this past Thanksgiving at the parade. We'd discovered our Santa was shall we say…indisposed," They looked confused and she pretended to take a swig from an imaginary bottle of beer. When they caught on, she continued. "Kris was there. He offered to help us out last minute, and saved us from a complete and utter disaster. After that, it was a no-brainer to hire him on. It was his idea to bring Timmy and Tommy in as part of his team. I really couldn't say no. Kris can be very persuasive. It was to be a seasonal job ending on Christmas Eve."

"And when was the last time you saw Mr. Jenkins, I mean Kris?" Beckett asked.

"Yesterday, as he was leaving work. It was around 5:00pm."

"Can you show us their personnel files? We'd like to see what information you have on record for them." Jordan said.

"Also, we'll need a list of all the other employees they worked with." Kate added.

"Certainly. It will only take a moment to get their personnel files, and then I'll see about getting you a full list of those they worked with." She picked up the phone, and asked her assistant to retrieve the information.

"Mrs. Walker, have you noticed anything unusual going on between Kris, Timmy, and Tommy lately?" Castle asked.

"Nothing immediately comes to mind, no." she said. "Except maybe that Kris was constantly at his wit's end with Tommy skipping work as he pleased, otherwise they appeared to get along famously and seemed as though they were enjoying their jobs. When they were up on that stage they were practically rock stars; the children simply adored them. My bosses instructed me to do whatever I had to in order to keep them part of our Macy's family. They've mentioned, rather emphatically I might add, that sales have increased dramatically since Kris came aboard. They're not going to be pleased when I tell them what's transpired."

Jordan pulled out some pictures and placed them in front of Mrs. Walker. They were of Drago and Edmundo Mangosa, Bernie Balboa, and Vinny Costa. "Do you recognize any of these men?" She asked.

Mrs. Walker carefully looked the photos over, taking pause at one in particular. She looked up at them, worry spread across her face. "Yes, actually I do." She said pointing to the photo of Bernie Balboa. "This man. I've seen him before. A few weeks ago. I remember him because we had to have security escort him out. He and Tommy were having a heated argument and there were parents and children present on line waiting to see Kris. He went quietly after security got involved thankfully. That was the last I saw of him."

"Do you know what they were arguing about?" Castle asked.

"No. I'm sorry, I don't. I reached the stage once the altercation had already ended, but I did see Tommy's face. He was terrified. You may want to ask his co-workers. Maybe they can tell you what was said."

"We stopped by the exhibit when we arrived." Castle said, before letting out a heavy sigh, tilting his head down and frowning. "Wow." He muttered.

Her mouth hung open at his audacity. "I'll have you know, I had to scramble to find their replacements this morning." She sputtered. Castle shook his head, but said nothing. "It was the best I could do with no notice." She defended. "It's not as easy as you'd think to find someone to fill in."

"Husband?" Castle asked.

"Brother-in-law." She replied before she could stop herself. "He owed me a favor. I'm thinking of firing him. We've been fielding complaints from disappointed parents all day. Word's gotten out about how wonderful Kris was with the children." Now he felt bad for bringing it up. It was possible she hated the situation more than Castle. "He'd be so disappointed. Any idea when he'll be able to return to work?"

They shook their heads, and Mrs. Walker sighed.

Castle turned to Beckett and Jordan tossing them a smug look that said "See, told you so".

Kate's cell phone rang and Castle jumped to attention. "Beckett." He assumed it was the boys checking in. When she wouldn't let him listen in, he rose and started pacing. He'd wanted to call Ryan himself, but his phone battery had just died.

"I'll just go see about those files." Mrs. Walker said, excusing herself, to give the detectives privacy on their call. Jordan and Kate thanked her as she left the room.

It was Esposito calling to update Beckett on Jenkins, who'd been cleared for release from the hospital. He said it was up to Kate and Jordan if they wanted him discharged today or tomorrow morning. Beckett quickly updated Jordan and Castle, and then Jordan immediately pulled out her own cell phone to contact her team. Castle paced back and forth while they spoke.

Esposito told Beckett Jenkins passed his psych evaluation, the psychiatrist deemed him sane, pending a re-examination in a week or so, and that his memory was expected to return in due time, or by Esposito's estimation, possibly never. They were labeling it PTSD. He informed her the doc suggested keeping Jenkins one more night as a precaution due to his age, and then Esposito shared the doctor's instructions regarding Jenkins' sprained ankle. It was clear Jenkins would need some monitoring if they were to move him to another location. Never once, did Esposito bring up the earlier false alarm in Jenkins' hospital room, where they'd thought they'd lost their witness.

"We're still working on setting up the safe-house." Jordan told them, before returning to her call. "We may want to keep Jenkins overnight at the hospital." Beckett nodded, in understanding, although she was still on with Esposito.

"Hang on, Beckett." Esposito said, obviously distracted. It sounded like he and Ryan were arguing over who should speak to her.

Ryan came on the line, after having yanked the cell phone away from his partner. "Oh my God, Castle! You were right!" He hollered into the phone, causing Kate to jump and then move it away from her ear.

"Ryan?" She asked, followed by dead silence, followed by what may or may not have been Ryan slapping Esposito. She really couldn't be sure.

"Oh, hey Beckett, sorry. I thought you were Castle." Ryan said, a moment later, now considerably calmer. "Can you please put him on for a minute?"

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. She turned to Castle, then handed him the phone. "It's for you." She said, shaking her head.

Castle had been waiting for this call, dying to know what Kevin thought after meeting Kris. "I'm just going to take this….," He looked around aimlessly. "…over there," he stammered, walking a few feet away, safe from what he thought would be prying ears. It wasn't far enough. Beckett could hear Ryan's excitable high-pitched voice even from across the room, and judging from the stupid smile written on her crazy boyfriend's face, she could fathom a guess as to what was being discussed. She rolled her eyes at him and sighed. Apparently, now she'd have not one, but two Santa fanatics to deal with. _Fantastic._

While Jordan continued on the phone to her people, Kate listened to Castle and Ryan's conversation, annoyed, yet somewhat amused, by the half she could make out.

"I know right!...Yes!...Dead battery…Great!... Ah, huh…Okay…Really?...Absolutely!...Yes...Okay, we'll meet you back at the precinct in about an hour…Got it…Check." He tried to tamper down his enthusiasm, he really did, but only because he knew Kate was eavesdropping. He wasn't really worried about what Jordan thought. She usually just ignored him. Beckett, however, he hoped to sleep with again. She was watching him, her eyes narrowed, so he quickly said good-bye to Ryan, and then hung up. Still smiling, he walked up to Beckett and casually handed back her phone. "Thanks." Then he sat back down quietly.

Jordan approached Beckett at the same time, finally finished with her call. "We're working on putting together a safe-house. I've got a team on it now, but we'll have to keep Jenkins in the hospital a little longer." She told them. Castle eyed them both carefully, and then grinned. He had a much better idea. "Ladies, once again, I'm the answer to all of your problems."

They let him ramble on for about ten minutes as to the virtues of Kris staying at the loft. Next came the debate.

"No, Castle." Beckett said for the tenth time while they waited for Mrs. Walker to return.

"It could work Kate." Jordan finally said. "He's got a high security building. There would be undercover agents posted everywhere. It's not the worst idea he's ever had."

"Thanks, Jordan. I think." He replied, to her under-handed compliment. He'd take what he could get.

The door opened and Mrs. Walker returned to sit at her desk. There were no files in her hand and her forehead was wrinkling. She clasped her hands together, and they waited for her to speak. She cleared her throat.

"The list of those they worked with is being compiled for you now, and you'll have it before you leave, however…I'm really not sure how to tell you this, or how it happened," She stuttered, "But it's been brought to my attention there may have been some sort of clerical error. The files you requested for Kris, Timmy, and Tommy… well, they seem to have gone missing."

A/N: I hope you liked this installment. Next up…just where did that snake of an elf, Tommy run off to? And what are the bad guys up to? Thanks for patiently waiting for this chapter and for reading. I would kill for a review if you have a minute! Karen


	7. Monsters' Holiday

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 7

Title: Monsters' Holiday (song by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett)

Disclaimer: Meet the Gangsters…my very own, caffeine-induced characters. Don't hate them because they're bad. They're just written that way. ;-)

Across town, Bernardino "BB" Balboa and Vincent "Vinny" Costa, sat in the formidable office of their boss, Drago Mangosa, wishing they were anywhere but. Drago made his flunky summon them to his office, not a good sign, and when they got there, the guy told them to sit down and shut up; not the usual show of respect to which they were accustomed. BB and Vinny exchanged a brief look. Something was definitely off, but still, they did as they were told, each taking a seat in front of their boss' imposingly large desk. A moment later, the door slammed shut behind them and they were left alone to stew.

"I'm not getting a good feeling about this." Vinny said, biting his nails.

"You worry too much." BB said, taking out his glasses and putting them on so he could read the small font on his cell phone. He was blind without them.

"You think he knows?" Vinny asked, his heart rate increasing. They'd encountered a few problems with the job the night before and he hoped they'd at least get a chance to explain.

"Probably." BB replied, in a flat voice; not really caring. He had other, more important things on his mind.

That was the extent of their conversation for a while. Even though they'd been partners for years, they'd never be accused of being overly chatty with each other. As a matter of fact, the less they talked, the better they got along, especially lately. As for Drago being pissed at them, BB wasn't overly concerned. He could only speak for himself, but the way he figured, if Drago had wanted him dead, he'd be dead already. He'd seen it happen enough times to know.

With no choice other than to wait patiently until their boss made an appearance, Vinny and BB allowed their minds to drift off to happier places.

Vinny, for one, pictured himself in front of his TV, cold beer in hand, watching his favorite soap, Temptation Lane. He'd often lose himself in an episode, and with little effort, could pretend his life was every bit as exciting as those of the characters on the screen. He was hooked on it. Partly because he prided himself on being a boob man, and thought the broads on that show were stacked like nobody's business, and second, because it relaxed him, and his doctor recently told him he needed to relax more if he wanted to live longer. He'd laughed at the guy, but didn't bother explaining why. What the doc didn't know was Vinny's day job didn't make for a long life expectancy. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out an opened roll of Tums, popping three into his mouth like they were candy. His ulcer was killing him today. He sighed, wondering why they always seemed to find themselves in hot water with Drago. A quick spot-check of the room confirmed there weren't any weapons in plain sight, although that didn't mean there weren't a few somewhere close by.

While Vinny sat still and worried, BB, on the other hand, squirmed around on the hard chair, in an effort to get comfortable. All he wanted to do was get the hell out of there. He had a solid lead on a pony, and this meeting was a waste of his time. He imagined himself over at the off-track betting place, a couple blocks down, placing the winning bet; the big one that would fix all his problems. To his chagrin, he'd been texting his bookie for over an hour, but the loser wasn't replying. He planned on having a long talk later with the guy on the fine line between professional phone etiquette and not getting whacked. He couldn't afford to lose out right now on some quick cash, not when he was trying like crazy to keep himself from being jammed up.

Vinny, began to sweat, so he loosened his tie. It had been choking him like a noose for the past hour. He looked around the room, taking in the recent redecorating Drago had done. It looked nothing like it used to when Carlos had the office. It had become dark, unfriendly, and all the family pictures had been removed; including a couple Carlos always kept on his desk of the three of them together back in the good old days. Now there was dark wood paneling covering the once beige walls and a dead boar's head hung on a plaque nailed up high. The way the boar's beady eyes were staring at him gave him the creeps. He figured it was probably because they reminded him of BB's. The whole room made him sick. "Would you get a load of this place? Carlos is probably rolling over in his grave seeing it this way."

"He's kinda dead, remember. I don't think he really gives a shit." BB replied, not looking up from his cell phone.

"Yeah, but still…it's disrespectful, I tell ya. His body ain't even cold yet. Drago shoulda waited."

BB just ignored him, and kept right on playing with his phone; it made Vinny crazy. His partner had always been a selfish bastard who never gave a damn about anyone but himself; didn't even seem to care that their friend's memory was being erased.

They both sat up at attention when the door opened and Drago walked in. They said hello, but all they got for their trouble was the evil eye, before he moved to stand next to the window, turning his back on them. "Shut up, the both of you." He said. They watched as Drago continuously clenched and unclenched his fists. Oh yeah, the boss knew, and he was pissed. Word traveled fast in their world. They resigned themselves to the fact that what followed next, was sure to be unpleasant.

Vinny pressed down on his ulcer, in an attempt to tame it. Their boss was just standing there, not saying a thing. He wished Drago would just hurry up and yell at them already which would be a nice alternative to shooting them where they sat. There was nothing more he hated than the silent treatment, and Drago was the master. He'd seen Drago intentionally play with silence before; using it to inflict the fear of God into the hearts of his enemies. He wondered when the fuck they'd become the enemy, and not for the first time in the past few weeks, longed for the days back when Carlos was at the helm. Their dearly departed boss, and his close childhood friend, had a much better sense of humor about their occasional screw-ups than his younger brothers.

He really missed Carlos. He and BB had grown up with all three Mangosa brothers, but Carlos had always been their guy. Drago, he'd been a miserable kid, mean-spirited and as nasty as the night was black. Only sometimes, he'd hang with them. And Eddie, from the get-go, made like he was too good for any of them, kept his hands clean, and ran with his own kind. They worked for Drago now mainly out of respect for Carlos. Well, at least he did. He had his suspicions BB only kept coming around for the paychecks.

BB checked the time again on his cell phone, and considered asking the boss to speed things up; daylight was burning. He was trying to be patient, he really was, but unfortunately patience wasn't one of his strong-suits. His knee began to bounce uncontrollably, and his eyes flittered about the room. He turned towards his partner who was sweating like a pig, looking about ready to crap himself. _Sometimes, Vinny could be a real fucking wuss._ BB glared at their boss' back. He could do without the silent treatment right now. Drago was obviously just trying to mess with their minds by keeping them waiting. Since Carlos died, the guy got his kicks playing the role of Alpha Dog, and he was all focused on proving how he's as tough as Carlos was. This came as no great shock. Even as a kid, Drago had always lived in his brothers' shadow...and now he was the one in charge; probably felt pretty good, dead brother thing, aside. But he also had some pretty big shoes to fill, and power could mess with your head if you weren't ready for it. He had his doubts about Drago, but wisely kept those thoughts to himself. BB's knee-bouncing morphed into toe-tapping. What they should be out doing, instead of sitting around here, was hunting down that little prick, Frost, and getting back what was rightfully theirs, after he phoned his bookie, of course, then they'd make him pay for what he'd done.

Vinny glanced at his partner, who kept switching positions in his seat, squirming around like a little kid. The guy had absolutely zero patience, and Vinny knew he'd have to come clean to the boss, before his idiot partner piped up and said something stupid, making things worse, like he usually did. BB's big mouth would only get them in deeper.

Remembering the night before, Vinny pressed down on the spot where his ulcer was enflamed in an attempt to ease the pain, and thought, for the hundredth time since Carlos had died, about retiring from the crime business. He thought about reconsidering, taking his asshole brother-in-law up on his offer to get him a job in security; one where he didn't have to worry so much about getting put back in the slammer. Working for Drago was really beginning to stress him out; maybe this should be his last job for the Mangosas. He wiped the sweat from his palms onto his pants legs, and then caught BB putting away his cell phone, indicating any minute now, his partner would be opening his rap. He had a fleeting thought about how good it would feel to smack him.

BB opened his mouth to speak, but Vinny cut him off with a hard smack to the arm. Two sets of steely eyes met, and Vinny shook his head. "I'll handle this." he said, daring him to argue.

BB was about to do just that, but then decided against it. Instead, he gave him a crooked smile and leaned back prepared to watch the show. "Be my guest." He replied, smirking. To him, there was nothing funnier than watching Vinny try and blather his way out of trouble; especially if the other guy was a much better shot.

With BB silenced for the moment, Vinny braced himself, took a deep breath, and then dove in.

"Boss, you can't blame us for this one. It wasn't our fault. We did like you said with the elf. Sorta. BB here even shot him cold. How was we supposed to know we had the wrong fucking elf? They all look alike for god sakes; little guys, green elf outfits, tiny little hats."

"And don't forget those little green boots with the bells." BB added with a snicker. He always tried his best not to be helpful.

"Right. Little green boots with bells." Vinny agreed. "There's no reason to worry, Boss, because the old guy ain't gonna be a problem. Psycho here," He said, pointing his thumb towards BB, "Scared the crap outta him. He ain't gonna be running his yap anytime soon."

Drago's large, menacing frame slowly turned around to face them. His arms were crossed, and his jaw was clenched. He rolled his eyes at them. "Really? You want to tell me why the hell you didn't just shoot the old bastard too, while you had the chance?"

"Boss, the guy was all dressed up like Kris Kringle," Vinny said, trying to calmly explain. "It was kinda sweet. I mean, he ain't all there upstairs, if you know what I mean, and he did keep yapping on and on, about how bad we were, but still…the guy looked just like freaking' Santee Claus."

"Seriously?" Drago asked, rolling his eyes again. They were giving him a pounding headache. If Carlos was still alive he'd kill him himself for saddling him with these two. And then, after he was done, he'd shoot BB, and permanently wipe that smirk off his face.

"Well, of course, we didn't believe him," Vinny said, back-peddling. "But he was a real class- act, Boss. Those weren't no fake whiskers, they were real. And he wasn't wearing one of those crappy, cheap costumes neither; this thing was primo. I just couldn't do it. It's Christmas-time, Boss. It wouldn't have been right." Vinny had always had a soft spot for anything to do with Christmas; it was his favorite time of the year.

"I could have." BB interjected, holding up his pointer finger. He hated Christmas; never got one toy he'd ever asked for. They both turned his way. "But Vinny here was all, _You can't shoot Santa Claus. Don't shoot Santa Claus. Blah, Blah, Blah._" He mimicked.

Vinny shot him a dirty look and cracked his knuckles. He was seconds away from jumping BB and punching his lights out. "Frost was the one we were after, not the old guy." He defended.

Dragon's blood boiled as he listened to them bicker back and forth. He lowered his head and tried massaging his eyebrows with his fingers to ease the headache that was forming, but it didn't work. Although he'd known both of them since they were kids, they'd never changed. These two incompetent idiots were as stupid as ever. While he'd personally matured, learned a thing or two, they never would. He had no idea how Carlos put up with either of them for so long. Vinny, though built like a tank, wasn't the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree and BB, well; he ain't never been right in the head. If it wasn't for the fact they'd been so loyal to his brother Carlos he'd have given them the boot a long time ago; friends or no friends. Maybe Eddie was right. Maybe it was time for him to build a new crew. These two had one job to do, one job, and they went and botched it. What the fuck? He will make them fix this. He'd had all he could take of their arguing.

"Shut up!" He shouted, immediately silencing both of them. "After careful consideration and out of respect for my dead brother, Carlos, may he rest in peace, (they all crossed themselves) I'm not going to kill either of you today." Vinny let out a sigh of relief. BB checked his watch. "I am however going to ask you two morons to explain to me exactly what went down last night. All you had to do was go in there, get the money and leave. Maybe you rough him up a little. Instead, you go on a fucking elf hunt. And you…" He pointed to BB. "You don't even take out the right elf. Do you not look at people before you shoot them?" He asked. Not waiting for an actual answer, he continued. "What confuses me more is how my dead brother, Carlos, may he rest in peace (they all cross themselves again) put up with you two assholes."

"It's all good, Boss. You don't have to worry about a thing; everything's been taken care of." BB told him, with a sick twisted smile. "After we left last night, believe it or not…someone blew up the whole fucking building. Boom." He said, making an explosion noise, complete with finger quotes, and psychotic laugh. "Problem solved. No way they survived that. And…nobody saw us. We were real careful."

"Someone blew up the building?" Vinny gasped, his mouth falling open.

"Pick up a paper, genius. Oh, wait...never mind, I forgot…you can't read." BB replied.

"Fuck you, BB. How about maybe next time, before you shoot someone, you put on your fucking glasses. You vain bastard."

"I said shut the hell up!" Drago shouted, and the room was suddenly silent. Even though he knew he had their full attention it didn't stop the sound of his voice from escalating the more he continued. "So you both think it's all good then, do you? Well, I got a guy at the hospital, says otherwise. Apparently, the old geezer managed to make it through just fine. The elf you shot, not so much. But now Jolly Old St. Nick's running his mouth off to the cops and the feds, and they're watching his door. For your information, I got problems up the yin-yang; I got a dead elf, another one on the lamb who still owes me, an old dude who thinks he's fucking Santa Claus as a witness, not to mention a couple more dead yo-yos piled up who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the feds, who've been watching me for weeks, are going to be breathing up my ass even more than they already are. So I gotta argue…how is this not a problem for me?"

Drago allowed them a moment of silence to think about what he'd said. BB's face paled a bit, and his toe-tapping stopped. And Drago could almost hear the sound of the beads of sweat dripping from Vinny's upper lip.

"You two…" He said, slightly calmer, pointing back and forth between them. "You two, give mobsters a bad name. And you call yourselves professionals?"

"I told you we should have shot the old guy!" BB accused, yelling at Vinny.

"And I told you, we shoulda stuck around, waited for Frost to show up. We could have held those guys at gunpoint or something, in exchange for our stuff."

"If we'd stayed, numb-nuts…," BB replied, "We wouldn't be here right now…remember?" He makes the "boom" noise again.

"Oh, yeah." He replied, shocked that for once BB had a valid point.

"That's another thing… this bomb. Let's talk about _the boom_." Drago said, also with finger gestures. "You do this?" Drago pointedly asked BB. This was right up his alley. BB gave him a blank look, so he clarified. "The bomb?" Drago repeated. "This your work? You responsible for _the boom_? Cause I know, you know, I prefer things a little less messy."

"No, Boss. Wasn't me. I swear." BB said, shaking his head. A second later a pleased little smile formed on his lips and he wiggled his eyebrows. "That right there...that's what they call fate, I tell you."

Drago glared back at him, disgusted, not sure BB was even capable of telling the truth. He didn't trust either of them as far as he could throw them. He was getting nowhere fast. "Whatever. All I know is the Feds put this on me, I ain't gonna be happy." He said, lowering his voice. "Believe me, you don't want that. There'd better not be anything linking me to this. And next time, you don't leave until the job is done. You understand me?"

"Sure, Boss." Vinny and BB both replied.

"So what's our next move?" Vinny asked Drago.

"First, you two go buy yourselves some solid alibis. Then, you go finish the job. Get rid of the old guy."

"How are we supposed to do that with the feds watching?" Vinny asked.

"My sources tell me they're releasing him tomorrow. Probably taking him to a safe-house. You wait till they move him is how." Drago handed Vinny a piece of paper with a phone number on it. "Call my guy at the hospital. Work it out." Drago said. "And don't get caught."

"Then what?" BB asked.

"Put the word out. Find that little prick, Tommy Frost, and clean this mess up. I want this over. Do I make myself clear?" They both nodded.

"Sure, Boss." Vinny said.

"We'll find him, Boss." BB told him. "Then we'll take care of it. Nobody steals from Drago Mangosa and gets away with it." _And they, sure as hell, don't steal from me._

After they'd left his office, Drago called in his assistant. "Tail 'em, but keep your distance. I want to know what they're up to. Got it?" The man said nothing in reply, but smirked, before nodding. _It will be my pleasure._

_A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Two more chapters will be posted shortly, they're nearly complete. A review/constructive criticism is always appreciated! :-) Karen_


	8. Home For The Holidays

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 8

Title: Home For The Holidays (song by Perry Como)

Disclaimer: These Castle characters aren't mine, but I dream about them every night. I'm basically sleeping with the entire cast. Does that make me a "Ho"?

After leaving the administrative offices, Kate, Jordan, and Castle bundled up for the long hike back to where Kate had been forced to park.

Mrs. Walker, the Macy's Human Resources Manager apologized profusely for the missing files, promising to assist the police and FBI in every other way possible, beginning with arranging for the workers of the North Pole exhibit to be sent down to the precinct for interviews that very afternoon. She gave them security camera footage from when the North Pole exhibit first opened for the season, along with a list of employees who'd worked alongside Timmy, Kris, and Tommy. And although their personnel records had mysteriously gone missing, she was able to locate copies of current time cards showing when they'd punched in and out of work.

"No personnel records found for any of them…" Jordan said, voicing her thoughts aloud on their walk back to the car. "How is that even possible?" It was rare and humbling moment indeed, when neither she, nor her team, could dig up dirt on someone.

Kate was equally as mystified. "It makes no sense. Why do we keep coming up empty on these guys?"

"I don't know," Jordan replied. "But someone obviously doesn't want us to know what's in those files."

Unlike his companions, Castle appeared unfazed by the news. "It doesn't really matter if the records are missing," he'd offered, sensing their frustration. "So what if we can't interview their families? It's not like they're going to come all the way down from the North Pole for an interview with us," he said as they reached the car.

Kate swore if he kept spewing his Santa Claus nonsense in front of Jordan, she'd have no choice but to shoot him. She turned to him and stared. "Oh, I don't know Castle, maybe they'd fly in...on their sleighs." Not waiting on a reply, she opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. Jordan snickered, shook her head at him, and then climbed in on the passenger's side.

He sighed and then quietly got in the backseat. He wanted so badly to argue that although unlikely, it wasn't as improbable as she might like, but after considering her current mood, he wisely refrained. He studied her carefully in the rearview mirror, resigning himself to the fact that convincing her Kris was for real would prove to be one hell of an uphill battle. And she hadn't said as much, but he was beginning to sense she didn't quite embrace the spirit of Christmas as much as he did. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember her celebrating the holiday since he'd met her.

He thought back on his invitation for her to spend Christmas at the loft with him and his family. Sure, she'd said yes, but in retrospect she really hadn't seemed overly excited. And each time he'd brought up the plans since, she'd managed to change the subject. Tonight, when they were off the clock, he'd confront her about it, in his own subtle way, of course. Something was definitely off with her, and he vowed to get to the bottom of it. He sat back, in a self-imposed time-out he refused to label as sulking, and pondered the puzzle that was Kate Beckett.

Kate glanced at him discreetly through her mirror. Damn, she'd made him pout. She hated when he pouted. And he was awfully quiet. She could practically hear the wheels turning. He was probably trying to figure out her mood. Lanie was right, they needed to talk, and sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, the conversation would have to wait, at least until work was over, especially since Jordan was asking her a question about the case at the moment. Kate forced herself to focus.

Castle wondered, not for the first time, if he'd ever figure Kate out. After all, it was their first official Christmas together as a couple. Why wouldn't she want to spend the holiday with him? Maybe he was moving too fast? No, that couldn't be it; it had taken them four long years to get to this point - years longer than it should have. If it were up to him, he'd opt to kick things up a notch, ask her to move in with him, which in his mind was the logical next step. But what if she wasn't ready? What if he'd been putting too much pressure on her? His heart started racing. He was over-thinking things. He forced the negative thoughts aside and tried not to panic. Sure, she hadn't told him she loved him back yet, but he had faith she would, eventually…someday. He could wait. For her, he'd wait.

Everything was great between them, so what was her hesitation? Could it be she simply didn't like Christmas? Seriously, who on earth doesn't like Christmas? It was fun; there were parties and presents, eggnog and mistletoe, people were always so much nicer and friendlier to one another at this time of year. Family and friends gathered together to celebrate...families…

_Oh my god, I'm an idiot. Of course, she hates Christmas…her mother. This was about her mother. _

He caught Kate's eye in the mirror, quickly turning away over his thoughtlessness. He needed to apologize. Ever since he'd met Kris last night he hadn't shut up about it. Hell, it wasn't everyday you got to meet Santa Claus, but no wonder she looked like she wanted to smack him upside the head with a wreath. It must be so hard for her...but surely she realizes her mother would never have wanted her to avoid the holiday altogether? They needed to talk about this. And they would. He'd see to it - as soon as he could get her alone.

Once they got everything out in the open, only then would he take another stab at convincing her Kris was the real deal. It wouldn't be an easy task, but she was worth it. And like Kris had said, 'The ones you had to work for were always the most memorable'. Right then and there he vowed to make this the best Christmas Kate Beckett had ever had; magical, one for the record books.

His mission now clear, he perked up considerably, and listened as Kate and Jordan bouncing theory back and forth. Their dialogue took on a certain melody and he found himself wondering what he and Kate sounded like when exchanging theories. His musings were interrupted by a call from Lanie. The autopsies on the victims had been completed and she asked them to stop by on their way back to the precinct; she had something for them. They changed course and headed towards the morgue.

XXXXXXXXX

When they arrived at the morgue Lanie was standing beside the steel gurney bearing the battle-worn body of Timothy Jones. She was making some notes on a clipboard.

"Hey Lanie. What have you got for us?" Kate asked.

"Hey guys." She replied, before looking up.

"Dr. Parish." Jordan said, with a polite smile.

"Ah, Agent Shaw, always nice to see you," she said, before turning to Kate. "Glad you ask, Detective, because I've _got_ something very interesting. I completed the autopsies on each of the four victims and found nothing unexpected on the other three, however, with Timothy Jones, here...there was one glaring difference. And I don't mean because he's a dwarf." She loved a captive audience; especially the live ones, so she paused dramatically before continuing.

"Unlike the other victims, it appears Mr. Jones, was also shot before the bomb went off." Castle's eyes widened, and Kate's mouth hung open. Jordan was temporarily speechless. "I pulled this 9mm bullet from his chest cavity," she said, holding it up.

"Shot," Jordan repeated, finally finding her voice. "…then blown up. Wow. Someone really had it in for the poor guy."

"They really did." Castle agreed, now worried more than ever about Kris. Whoever did this to Timmy was still out there roaming the streets.

"What time was he shot Lanie?" Kate asked.

"He was dead before the explosion went off," she explained, handing the bag with the bullet to Jordan. "I'm placing the time of death between seven-thirty and eight o'clock pm. He bled out as a direct result of the GSW. Also, our vic wasn't shot at close range. Judging from the entry wound, I'd put the shooter at approximately six feet away."

"Excellent. Finally a lead we can work with," Jordan said. "So we're looking for a smoking gun, nine millimeter. I'll have my people check into what Mangosa and his boys are known to carry. Can I keep this, Dr. Parish? I want my ballistics team to examine it."

"Of course." Lanie replied.

Castle turned to Kate. "We need to talk to Kris," he said, trying to remain calm. "What if he witnessed the shooting?"

Jordan wasn't convinced Kris was being completely honest with them. "And what if he's covering it up, Castle?"

"No. He wouldn't lie. What reason would he have? He already identified Mangosa's guys from their earlier dealings with Tommy. If they shot Timmy in front of him, then it must have been too traumatic so he blocked it out. It's possible talking about it may help his memories resurface."

"You might be right." Kate agreed, although like Jordan, she chose to remain skeptical over Kris' hazy memory claims.

Lanie wrinkled her nose. "Who's Kris?"

"Don't ask." Kate mumbled, highly aware of Jordan's presence. She thought about duct-taping Castle's mouth shut and briefly wondered why that would be considered wrong.

"I do believe he means, Henry Jenkins." Jordan said, although her attention appeared to remain steadfast on examining the bullet she held.

Lanie was still confused as to why Castle had called the man Kris. "Oh, right, Jenkins, the man you have in protective custody. She looked to Kate for clarification, but all she got for her trouble was a whispered "Long story, tell you later". Lanie studied Castle who had suddenly and uncharacteristically clamed-up, probably because he was busy dodging the death rays Kate was catapulting his way.

"Was there anything else Lanie?" Kate asked, eager to change the subject.

Lanie wondered what the hell was going on. Kate seemed more than normally exasperated with her boyfriend. She decided to hold off on the questions, for now, since Agent Shaw was there. "As a matter of fact, Detective, yes, there is more. He had this piece of paper in his pocket." she held it up, and then passed it to Kate. "They appear to be two hand-written credit card numbers. I'm not sure if they mean anything, but you guys are the detectives, so you tell me."

Jordan huddled close, and Castle peered over Kate's shoulder studying the note. "I agree. They do look like credit card numbers." Jordan said, quickly snapping a picture of the note with her cell phone camera. Both Kate and Castle jumped, then turned and stared at her.

"Already in the system," Jordan said. "My guys are running the numbers as we speak; it shouldn't take long to find out who they belong to."

"You just love doing that, don't you?" he said.

"I really do." she replied.

"There's more." Lanie said, holding up another plastic bag. "I sent these pieces of shrapnel which I found in all four victims over to the lab, and the results came back. They're metal alloys; ball bearings mostly, which unfortunately, could have been bought anywhere. Maybe you'll have more luck tracing them Agent Shaw." Lanie gave the bag to Kate who then passed it around for viewing.

"Anything else?" Jordan asked. Lanie shook her head. "Thank you, Dr. Parish. Nice work."

Seconds later Jordan was on her cell, barking out instructions to her staff as she took her call out into the hallway.

"Kate, my battery's dead. Can I borrow your phone a minute to call Alexis and Mother?" he asked. "I need to check in with them, tell them not to come by the apartment until this is all over."

Kate handed him her phone. "Sure."

"Thanks. I'll just take this, um…outside." He said, feeling their eyes upon him, and then quickly walked outside, hoping one day for immunity from their estrogen-filled glares.

Finally alone, Lanie pounced. "Okay, girl, spill. Why do you seem so on edge today? What'd Castle do now? And why the hell is he calling Henry Jenkins, Kris?"

Lanie was relentless, so Kate knew she wasn't getting out of this discussion. "Ah. Well, that would be because Castle believes Henry Jenkins is actually…I can't believe I'm telling you this…," She rolled her eyes. "He thinks Jenkins is the one, the only, Kris Kringle."

"Shut the front door!" Lanie laughed. "Kris Kringle? As in Santa Claus, Kris Kringle?"

"That would be the one, Lanie, yes. Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with him. His head's completely filled with fairytales. He's driving me insane."

"He always makes you crazy. It's how the man rolls." She let out an unladylike snort. "Kris Kringle, huh?" Then she giggled. Castle cracked her up. Not that'd she'd ever tell him that.

"You're laughing? Now? In my hour of need?" Kate accused. "My forty-something boyfriend thinks our main witness is a fictional character come to life, Santa Claus no less, and you find this funny?"

"Sorry, Honey. Just give me a minute." She held up a finger, taking a second to tamper down her amusement. Once she got it together she turned to Timmy's body lying on the gurney. Her brows scrunched. "Good lord, next you're gonna tell me he thinks poor Timmy here was one of Santa's elves." Kate crossed her arms and stared at her. They shared a moment of silence.

"No, freaking way." Lanie's mouth hung open.

"Yes, way."

"Seriously?"

Kate nodded. "Seriously."

Lanie mulled this over. "Heh. I've never autopsied an elf before. I should probably update my resume, cause I can tell you...that's not on there." Then she giggled again.

"It's not funny Lanie. This man, Kris…" She paused when Lanie's brow hit her hairline, "Let's just call him Kris for ease of conversation, shall we? He has Castle, and now Ryan, both completely snowed. Pun intended. Ryan's Jenny's problem now, poor girl, but Rick...he's mine. He's a grown man, or he's supposed to be anyway. What the hell am I going to do with him? He's making it very hard to take him seriously. Agent Shaw must think he's a raving lunatic."

"Smart woman, that Agent Shaw; she wouldn't be too far off the mark." Lanie replied.

"And all his talk about Christmas and elves, and the holidays - Christmas, Christmas, Christmas…," Kate continued. It was liberating to finally get it off her chest. "The only time he shut up about it was when we were, you know…otherwise occupied." She said, not caring if she blushed. "I'm not sure how much more I can take Lanie. He's moments away from asking to sit on the man's lap!"

Lanie kept a watchful eye on the door worried Castle could hear them. Kate obviously needed to blow off some steam, but she didn't want her friends getting in a potential argument with Agent Shaw nearby. "Breathe, Kate."

Lanie had a good point and was a doctor, so Kate did as she was told and took a few deep breaths. When she continued, it was slightly calmer. "Thank you. I feel a little better now."

"Good. Now why don't you tell me what this is really all about?" Lanie asked, as always getting right to the heart of the matter.

Lanie always saw right through her, so Kate didn't bother denying it. She checked the door, happy Castle was still out on his call, and then leaned in closer. "Did I mention he asked me to spend Christmas with him and his family?"

Finally, Lanie understood Kate's real problem. This would be a big deal; her girl struggled with getting through the holidays. Her mother's murder really did a number on her. The time had come for Kate's sensible, logical, friend to make an appearance. She looked Kate in the eyes. "No. You didn't mention that, but you're in a real relationship now Kate - a serious one at that. Of course, he'd expect you to spend the holidays with him. That's perfectly normal. I admit he doesn't do _normal_, too often, so I can understand how that might confuse you." She smiled. "Honestly, I've got to tell you, I think it's kind of sweet he believes in this guy and gets so excited about Christmas." Kate rolled her eyes, but Lanie chose to ignore it. "And you can deny it all you want, but that man's boyish charm has had _you_ on the hook since the day you two met. Come on, Kate. How bad can it be? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with the Castles."

"Lanie, I'm not sure I can do it." Kate admitted, causing Lanie to frown. "Don't get me wrong, of course I want to spend Christmas with him, with them, but what if I end up being too depressed. I would hate myself if I ruined their holiday. Since Mom's been gone….you know I normally work instead of celebrating. It's been this way for years. I just can't..."

"Well, Kate, maybe it's time you changed all that; made some new memories. Damn, girl, you might even enjoy yourself. Talk to him Kate. Just be honest. Tell him how you feel."

"I know, I know you're right Lanie. I should have done it already." Kate said, sighing. "And I'm going to - eventually."

"Um, mm," Lanie said, staring back. She was about to ask 'What the hell are you waiting for?' when done with his call, Castle came back in bringing their conversation to an abrupt halt.

He looked between the two women, nearly turning on his heels at the onslaught of quiet brought upon by his entrance. Fighting the instinct to run, he handed Kate back her phone. "Thanks. You ready?"

Kate looked at Lanie. "Yeah, Castle. I think I'm ready."

"Okay...great." He said, cocking his head to the side. "Jordan's headed back to the car. She had a few more calls to make."

"Don't forget this." Lanie said, handing Kate her official written report.

Kate thanked her; they said their good-byes, and then turned to leave.

Lanie wasn't done with her yet. "Oh, and Kate? One more thing. Good luck...,"

Kate froze in her tracks, sucked in a bit of extra air. Acutely aware Castle was right currently behind her. She turned and narrowed her eyes at Lanie. Much to her chagrin, this seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

"…with the case." Lanie added, crossing her arms and smirking.

While Lanie could always be counted on for sage advice, her warped sense of humor knew no boundaries. Kate's smile was saccharin sweet. "Thanks." She replied, making a mental note to torture said friend about a certain Latino detective sometime soon. Sadly, it would have to wait. Right now they had a mystery to solve and were needed back at the precinct. She rolled her eyes at Lanie before following Castle out the door.

A/N: Thanks for reading, and I hoped you liked it. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. Chapter 9 will be posted in a moment! Thanks, Karen

10


	9. Deck The (Hospital) Halls

Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 9

Title: Deck The (Hospital) Halls

Disclaimer: Yeah, still not mine, but I love these guys… please don't sue me for tossing their names around, you'll be greatly disappointed.

Kevin and Ryan were at their desks when Kate, Castle and Jordan arrived back at the precinct. Jordan left them straight away to check in with her team, while Kate and Rick headed directly to the murder board to start making updates. The bullpen was even busier than it had been earlier. A mix of FBI agents and officers filled the room and everyone seemed to have their cell phones out. Esposito and Ryan joined them at the board, and she and Castle filled them in on Lanie's findings. Kate noted the board regarding the 9mm bullet found in Timmy's leg, the metal ball bearing fragments found from the blast and then she pinned up a copy of the note with the credit card numbers found on the paper in Timmy's pocket.

Castle eyed Ryan, and then loudly declared he was going to get some coffee. "Anyone want a cup? Because I could really use a cup."

His offer was followed by a series of head shakes and 'No thanks'.

"No? Well, okay then. I'll be right back." He gave Ryan one more long look, before darting off in the direction of the break room.

It took Ryan a few seconds to catch on. He faked a stretch. "You know, on second thought, I _could_ use a cup myself. Wait up, Castle!" he shouted, taking off after him.

Esposito and Kate waited until they were both out of sight and then laughed. "I swear, they're like two little kids." she said, turning to Esposito.

"Pathetic," he agreed.

They stopped talking as Ryan hurried by them again to grab the coffee mug he'd forgotten on his desk. "Probably help if I took this." He admitted, with a sheepish grin. In a flash he was gone again, the break room door swinging closed behind him.

Esposito stared at the closed door and shook his head. "If they're in there, comparing lists of all the cool toys they think they're gonna get, cause they think they've got an in now, I will go all Grinch on their asses."

"Get ready to kick some ass then, Espo."

"I'm seriously worried about those two."

"You're not the only one." Kate took a step back, arms crossed and leaned on the edge of the desk studying the board. "Is everything all set up for Kris', I mean Jenkins, release tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah. Hospital paperwork's completed; he's good to go. When we left the guards were still posted outside his door. The only ones allowed in and out are the feds, police, and authorized hospital personnel."

Kate checked to see if Ryan and Castle were still out of earshot. "Good. So, now that you've met him, what did _you_ think of Jenkins?" she asked, as casually as possible.

He chose his next words carefully, determined not to mention the old man's earlier disappearing act. There had to be a logical explanation for it. "I think the bump on his head left him delusional, although, he's probably not as nuts as his shrink. I'm guessing he got caught up in this mess due to his association with Tommy Frost. I don't like him for shooting Frost either. I just don't see it. I'll tell you one thing, the guy's a big hit with Ryan and Castle. Personally, I'll like him a hell of a lot more when his damn memory comes back."

Kevin and Castle strolled out of the break room all smiles and Castle handed Kate a cup of coffee even though she hadn't requested one. "I knew you could never turn down a fresh cup," he said, answering her unspoken question. She smiled and thanked him; certain she was blushing. True, he was daffy, but she loved the little things he did to take care of her; he always made her feel special.

"Yo, Castle? You okay with having Jenkins stay at your place?" Esposito asked, already knowing the answer.

"Hell yeah!" He replied, grinning like a kid with a secret. "I do need to make a few calls though, arrange for some groceries and things to be delivered later."

"You're so lucky, man." Ryan said, green with envy.

"I know, right!" Rick replied, beaming back. _Ryan totally gets me._

Kate covered her mouth and bit her bottom lip in an effort to hide her smile. It was time to rein them in. "Okay, boys. Let's review what we have." She checked her watch. "Our first interview should be here soon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several photos hung on the murder board. Timmy, Kris, and Tommy's pictures were posted in the middle. On the left side of the board were photos of the main suspects; Drago, Carlos, and Eddie Mangosa, BB and Vinny. And on the right side hung pictures of the other three victims who'd lived in the adjoining apartments next to Kris'. So far, they'd been ruled out as having any connection to the Mangosas. Kate updated the timeline to reflect Kris, Timmy and Tommy clocking out from work at five pm, estimating them arriving back to their apartment at approximately six pm. She indicated between seven-thirty and eight pm as the window for Timmy's shooting. The explosion detonation time was marked at eight-thirty pm.

"Ryan, I need you to review the security camera footage we brought back from Macys," she said. "There were no cameras at Kris' apartment building, but at least we've got this. We already know an altercation took place between BB Balboa, and Tommy Frost a few weeks ago. Security tossed Balboa out. Look for that. I want to know what they were arguing about. If we can place Drago's guys with Timmy we should at least have enough to bring them in for questioning. Look for any other suspicious behavior, or shady characters they may have interacted with besides Mangosa's guys."

"On it, Boss." Ryan grabbed the videos from Kate's desk, and high-tailed it to the precinct's audio-visual room.

Kate turned to Espo. "Jordan's running down these two credit card numbers Lanie found on Timmy." She handed him a copy. "Get an update from the Feds, but then see what you can find out on your own. I want to know who they belong to and how they're connected. They have to mean something."

"Got it." He replied, already heading over towards Santa's Workshop for an update.

"Are we bringing Drago Mangosa in for questioning too?" Castle asked, rubbing his hands together gleefully. He loved watching Beckett interrogate mobsters; complete turn-on.

"No, it's too soon. We're not ready to play all our cards just yet. We'll need something solid proving he's involved first."

"Still nothing on Tommy Frost's whereabouts," Jordan said, coming to stand beside them. "We've traced the credit card numbers, and know who they belong to, but we're still looking for a connection between them. In the meantime, we may have found something to use as leverage when we bring in BB. It's a long-shot but in the past, he's been suspected of carrying a 9mm." She pinned a picture up on the board and handed Kate the file she'd been carrying.

"This is Jimmy Russo. BB was suspected of shooting Jimmy in a bar fight with, low and behold, a 9mm. He wouldn't press charges, refused to testify, and then dropped out of sight-hasn't been seen since. We're putting feelers out to see if we can find him. There were eye-witness accounts, but the gun was never found. Carlos made sure he was lawyered-up, and without enough to prosecute they had to let him go. I spoke to the officer in charge, who'd brought him in at the time and he confirmed BB was their main and only suspect. I'd love to put this dirt-bag away." She said, practically salivating.

A weird chill went down Castle's spine. "Hey, has anyone checked on Kris lately?"

Jordan checked her watch. "Not since about an hour ago, but I'm sure he's doing fine. After all, he's got the FBI watching his door. Unless that's what you're worried about, Castle. Are you implying you don't trust my people to see to his safety?"

Holding back a laugh, Kate slowly sipped her coffee and pretended not to watch Castle squirm from over the rim of her coffee mug.

"No…no, that's not it at all." He stammered. "You're right. I'm being silly. I'm sure he's safer than the President."

"That's the Secret Service."

"Right. Secret Service… but I'm sure if called upon, the FBI would be even better at protecting the President than the Secret Service." He could feel himself starting to sweat.

She tried for the evil eye, but couldn't keep a straight face. "Relax, Castle. Can't you tell when I'm just messing with you."

"Yes, yes of course I can," he lied. "mainly because it happens...a lot." He added. She shrugged her shoulders, not denying it.

Despite what he'd told Jordan, he was still worried about Kris, but tried to remain positive. Jordan was right; Kris was probably fine. Still, something was gnawing at him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he'd feel better if he went over to the hospital; checked on him himself. He wasn't overreacting. The poor man was a sitting duck in that hospital and the entire future of Christmas could be in jeopardy.

"Lighten up, Elf-boy." Jordan said, feeling mildly guilty about teasing him, and then worrying she was going soft. "If it will make you feel better, I'll call and check on him right now. Okay?"

"Thank you. It's just that these people are ruthless. They'll stop at nothing to get what they want. You can't blame me for being worried." She nodded, understanding his concern, then pulled out her phone.

"Oh, and Jordan?" He said, waiting until he had her attention. "It's Elf-_Man_, by the way, Elf...Man." He said with a smug grin.

"Sure it is, Castle." She snickered, before putting the phone to her ear. "Calling right now," she told him.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. "Cheer up, Castle. I'll vouch for you. It's definitely…Elf-Man." She said, winking at him and moving towards her desk.

"Damn straight!" he said proudly while following her. He noticed she seemed to be in a better mood, and thought about asking her about their Christmas plans, but there was too much going on with the case right now. He decided it could wait until later. "You know, Kate…maybe I should go check on him, question him about Timmy's shooting. It really might kick-start his memory. I bet he saw the whole thing. It's entirely plausible-"

"Don't you mean '_clausible_?' "

He did a double-take. "Cute." He said, giving her a smile that melted her insides. "I did, actually. I really did."

She smirked, and then sat down in her chair, sipping her coffee. She let him ramble on for a bit, with a series of perfectly logical excuses for visiting Kris, each more animated than the last and marveled at his ability to care so deeply for a man he'd only just met. She'd been on the receiving end of all that attention. It was a safe bet, he wouldn't rest until he verified, with his own eyes, that Kris was okay. Rick might be a dreamer, crazy and gullible, but he was all hers. Maybe she'd been too hard on him? Lanie was right; she _was_ a sucker for his boyish charms. She was also lucky. She'd found herself a very good man; caring and pure of heart. It really shouldn't matter that Kris was just a nice old man with whiskers. If Rick cared this much about him, well then, she should too.

Her decision made, she'd had enough of his hard sell. He was clearly distracted; she might as well cut him loose. Besides, he's had worse ideas, Kris could probably use the company, and Castle was right, Kris might talk more freely without her and Jordan hovering.

He was still rattling on, but at least now he was sitting. The pacing had been making her a little dizzy. She should have stopped him sooner, but then again, he was very entertaining. "…and I could see if he needs anything," he continued. "he's stuck in there. I can bring him some decent food. Hospital food is terrible Kate. Nobody should have to eat that stuff..."

"Okay. You can go," she said, shocking him into silence. She pulled out her authoritative detective voice. "Espo, Jordan and I will handle the interviews. You go over to the hospital, check on Kris. And Castle, take Ryan with you." His eyes lit up and Kate congratulated herself on not laughing out loud. Not only could he go, but she was letting him bring his little buddy too. You'd think she'd given him a puppy. "Question Kris about the shooting, you know the drill. But before you leave, tell Ryan to turn over the security camera recordings to the Feds. Have them make copies. I'll need Ryan to review them as well when you guys get back."

He leaned in closer, nary a distance between them, looked deep into her eyes and smiled. And not just any smile. He'd brought out the big guns; the kind that made the little laugh lines around his smoking baby blues crinkle. She'd named it his _I want to take you right here on your desk smile_. She loved that smile; she loved him, and it crossed her mind, she should probably work up the nerve to share that piece of information with him one day soon. She leaned in closer as well.

"Best. Girlfriend. EVER." He whispered, sending shivers down her spine. He smelled so damn good, she was nearly drunk from it. Her fingers twitched, the desire to reach out and touch him overwhelming. And then he smirked-the bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Two could play at this game. "You're so easy to please, Castle." She said, licking her lips while staring at his. Thoughts of the supply closet just around the corner flittered across her mind.

"Are you saying I'm easy, Kate?" He teased back. "Because when it comes to you...you'd be absolutely right."

They jumped apart at the sound of a loudly clearing throat. It was Jordan, back from checking on Kris. His seductive smile turned tentative at the sight of her and he sat upright in his chair.

Jordan grinned, trying to put him at ease. "Like I said before, he's fine, Castle. My guys just switched shifts too, so they're fresh as daisies. Nothing new to report. They were just bringing him in his lunch when I called."

"Great. Thank you for checking Jordan." Not that it mattered. He was still going over to the hospital. He shot Kate a look under his lashes.

Much to his relief, she didn't miss a beat. "Agent Shaw, Castle was just suggesting that he and Ryan head to the hospital to question Kris about Timmy's shooting. They'll join us later for the rest of the interviews."

Jordan narrowed her eyes at Kate, and then turned to Castle, studying him a moment. "Good idea," she replied. "He seemed to take a liking to you and would probably be more open to talking without Detective Beckett and I around. I'll tell my guys to expect you."

"I'll see you ladies later then." Castle said, rising from his seat, trying not to sound overly eager. He grabbed his coat, shot Kate a look, and then hurried off to get Ryan. Her eyes followed him as he walked away, and down the hall. When he was out of sight, she turned to Jordan with a smug grin.

Jordan rolled her eyes and then reached in her blazer pocket. She pulled out a twenty and handed it to Kate, who chuckled shamelessly before stuffing it in her own. "Thanks," she said._ Hey, a bet was a bet._

"Damn. For the record, I only missed it by an hour. You do know your man, Detective. I'll give you that," she said, conceding defeat.

Purely out of reflex, Kate thought to deny it. But the smell of his cologne still lingered in the air, leaving the well-rehearsed denial to die on her lips. Besides, Jordan was a profiler; the ship had long since sailed on that particular secret. With the heat still fresh on her cheeks, she looked Jordan in the eyes. "Actually, I'm surprised he held out this long," she admitted.

"Quite impressive." Jordan agreed.

"It really is."

Kate stood up and finally noticed the stack of papers Jordan had placed on the side of the desk. "Are those the background checks on the Macy's workers?" She asked.

"Indeed they are. I'm told they hold quite an interesting array of characters."

"Figures. Why don't we use the office next to Gates' to review them." Kate suggested.

"Lead the way, Detective."

XXXXXXX

When Ryan and Castle arrived at the hospital, Ryan suggested they stop at the nurse's station for a medical update on Kris before heading into his room. They both agreed the news they were about to share with him would most likely be upsetting and they wanted to ensure he'd be in a condition to handle it. They passed by the guards, dutifully at their posts outside Kris' door, and walked down the long hallway to the nurse's station. Ryan flagged down a nurse. She gave them a polite smile and asked how she could help them. Ryan recognized her from his visit earlier that morning, still he showed her his badge before asking for an update on Kris' medical status.

She explained she was in the middle of tending to a patient, but that she'd be right back to help them, then she disappeared down the corridor and into one of the rooms. With a few extra minutes on their hands, Ryan pulled out his cell phone to check his voicemail. His messages had begun to pile up, including one from his wife.

A few minutes passed by and the nurse still hadn't come back. Castle tapped his fingers on the counter impatiently, while Ryan amused himself with his phone. Castle's phone, however, was still charging in the squad car. He ran his hands through his hair. "Ryan, I'm just going to go down the hall and talk to the guards. Call me if she ever gets back."

"Sure thing." Ryan replied, only half paying attention. He figured this would be a good time to call Jenny back.

When Castle approached, both guards immediately went on alert and gave him the once over. "Can we help you, Sir? This is a restricted area." The tall one said, in a deep voice.

"Hi. Yes, I'm Rick Castle, and that's, Detective Kevin Ryan." He said pointing to Ryan, who at the moment had his back turned away from them. "Agent Shaw said she was calling to let you know we were coming." He pulled his license from his wallet and handed it to the agent, and then waited as they checked his clearance.

Once they verified he was on the list of permitted visitors the agents relaxed, but only slightly, much like soldiers at ease. With nothing else to do at the moment, Castle went out on a limb and asked them for a report. The tall one confirmed the area had been quiet with no unusual activity, while his shorter, more silent partner stared him down as though Castle had stolen his best girl in high school. He eyed the agent back. He didn't look familiar, but back in the day…hey, you never know.

Castle asked who'd been in to see Kris that day, and after checking the sign in sheet, the tall one told him the only people in and out over course of the day were the floor nurses, Dr. Marcus; a physical therapist, Dr. Sawyer; Kris' psychiatrist, Dr. Mansfield; a general practitioner, and one or two orderlies.

They all took notice when a man in a doctor's white lab coat along with an orderly pushing an empty wheelchair approached. "Dr. Sawyer." He said, pointing to his photo id tag. "We're here to take the patient down for a head CT."

Castle stood quietly by and waited while the guards verified the doctor's hospital identification, before introducing himself. "Hello Doctor, Rick Castle. I'm a consultant with the police. I'm also a friend of Kris'." He explained, offering a handshake.

The doctor stared at him a second before taking his hand. "Oh, yeah, he mentioned you. Nice to meet ya."

"Doctor, can you tell me how Kris is doing?

"He's doing just fine."

"Do you know if he's remembered anything more?"

"Afraid not. As a matter a fact, it's not likely he'll ever get his memory back. Tough break, huh?" The orderly cleared his throat, getting the doctor's attention. "Well, I'm on a tight schedule, they're waiting for us downstairs. We'd better go in and get him. Good meeting ya."

"Excuse me, but would you mind giving us a hand getting the patient into the chair?" The doctor asked the tall agent. He hesitated a moment, silently checking with his partner, who shrugged and nodded back. Then the shorter agent held the door open so they could get through with the wheelchair and watched his partner follow the doctor and orderly into the room. Once the door shut he resumed his position outside.

Castle stood back out of their way with his hands in his pockets and watched. The doctor's dismal prognosis that Kris might never recover his memory had him concerned, but even doctors could be wrong, so he refused to give up hope. Kris was the key to this whole case, held all the answers, and with Christmas quickly approaching, the clock was ticking on getting him back to the North Pole. Now it looked like they'd have to wait to speak with Kris until his tests were done.

Sensing the stone-faced agent's gaze, Castle looked up. Cue the uncomfortable silence. "I'm just going to go…over there," he announced, thumbing to Ryan, who he saw speaking to a different nurse than the one they'd met earlier. Ryan caught his eye and waived him over. "I gotta go," he told the agent. "Nice talking to you."

"What's going on?" He asked Ryan. "They're taking Kris downstairs for more tests."

"We're about to find that out. I'm not sure where that other nurse went, but Sally here..." Ryan said with a smile, "Offered to pull up Kris' record for us so she can read us the doctors' notes." The pretty, young nurse smiled sweetly at Ryan, then sat down and started typing on her keyboard in search of the records.

While they waited, Ryan turned to Castle and wondered why he was frowning. "What's the matter?"

"The doctor thinks Kris may never regain his memory."

"Nah. Cheer up Castle. Have faith. We were told this morning it's probably only temporary. Who were you were talking to before, by the way?" He asked, watching as the remaining guard on duty entered Kris' room.

"Dr. Sawyer."

A look of panic flashed across Ryan's face. What were the odds Kris had two doctors with the same last name? "His psychiatrist, Dr. Sawyer?"

"Yes." Castle replied, nodding back.

Ryan whipped out his gun. "Castle, that's not Sawyer." He said, tossing Castle his cell phone, and moving down the hall towards the now unguarded room. "Clear the floor, call for back-up!" He said, over his shoulder.

"Oh no…Kris!"

Castle turned to the horrified nurse. "Alert security that I'm calling the police, but tell them to call it in too. Then tell them to lock down the elevators until the police get here." She was frozen in place; scared and confused. "Go, go now!" He yelled, snapping her out of her trance. He watched as she took off running down the back hallway.

He quickly dialed Kate, watching from a distance as Ryan edged closer and closer along the perimeter towards Kris' room before finally dropping out of sight.

She wasn't picking up. He started to panic. "Beckett." He heard her finally answer, but his reply was cut short by the unmistakable sound of gunfire…

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read this and for your reviews and favorites so far. Reviews soothe the soul, and frankly, I could use some soothing. Now, on to the next chapter. Whatever will become of poor Santa? Will Kate and Rick 'explore' other rooms at his loft? Where is that bad little elf? Have the mobsters shot each other yet? I hope you'll stay tuned. - Karen

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